Gates of Indra
by xXPteranoXx
Summary: Four years after the Dinosaucers' departure from Earth a mysterious portal opens to the world the Rainbow Faces call home, but all is not well with this happening. It's up to Fireclaw, Chomper, Redclaw, Littlefoot and more to stop a hallowed prince from ultimately destroying the line between life and death and wreaking havoc between the two worlds.
1. In the Beginning

Chapter 1: In the Beginning

* * *

March 9, 1994. Four years after the Dinosacuers departure from Earth. Fireclaw remained in control of Lavadome, but kept it a well-guarded secret. With help from Chomper, now under the alius of Tyranus whenever needed, Lavadome two remained in good standing. This particular day would prove much more interesting than the rest.

Fireclaw sat at the control panel calibrating some of the geolocation systems. After having major help rebuilding Lavadome after the Valmonway incident, not all of Lavadome's main systems weren't fully functional. Fireclaw mounted his special golden blade on a wall nearby the main panel he was working at. Communications were still fairly limited. Reptillonian communications were up and working, but Fireclaw still had to set up earth based com-links. He was surprised when a small phone on the communications board began to ring. Fireclaw hesitantly answered it.

"Hey Fire, it's Chomper. How's our systems running?" Chomper asked.

"Oh, Chomper. Sorry I was wondering who figured out that number." Fireclaw replied.

"Ha Sure, I posted Lavadome's communication code on a sign earlier, I'm sure you'll be swamped with calls." Chomper replied sarcastically.

"Anyways, so where did you go? I heard you leave earlier, but you never said anything." Fireclaw asked.

"I just went back tot he Great Valley for a while. Had something to clear up." Chomper replied.

Fireclaw spun around in his chair and continued typing.

"What happened? Topsy lose his mind again?" Fireclaw joked.

"For once no! In fact, it had nothing to do with him, but he's somewhat involved. Apparently word got out about Ozzy and Strut coming back to stay. There's mixed feelings but it could work out I guess." Chomper explained.

"Oh boy. Yeah, I could see good ole' Topsy being a little jaundiced about that. Ozzy seems to have gotten himself straight though. At least I'd hope so, I'm not a babysitter." Fireclaw replied.

"I won't really worry. He's been different after the Valmonway incident. I guess he saw what helpless felt like. That or we just don't know he still goes after eggs and we don't' realize it yet." Chomper said.

"I'm just going to assume you're screwing with me when you say that. Anyhow, what else is going on?"

"Not much else. Littlefoot did that longneck test thing. I heard he passed, which is great. Shorty though, who is he? Like, is he always so pompous?" Chomper asked.

"Yes. Yes he is. I had a few encounters with him. He tends to avoid me though, probably because of my species." Fireclaw replied.

"Yea his last little escapade nearly ended in suicide. He doesn't seem to be very bright, that or he's thick." Chomper said.

"At times he's not." Fireclaw replied.

"Alright listen, I gotta go. something's going on and it's about to end in a slap fight." Chomper said with a chuckle.

"Alright, See ya. Don't get your eye clawed out." Fireclaw said before hanging up.

* * *

Glendale High's halls were filled with the black and white echoes of lectures about important facts of the United States, mathematical theorems and talks about the works of William Shakespeare. Two doors down from the stairwell was the classroom of Mrs. Fitzker.

Mrs. Fitzker was the school's history teacher, a very boring and vague history teacher to the school's general population. The blue walls could have just lost all of their color from the lack of entertainment her topics usually contained.

"Psst, Ryan, your ring is flashing! Where'd you get it?" A classmate asked curiously.

"What the?"

Ryan shoved his hand in his pocket and removed his scouts ring. He glanced around nervously before taking it out the top off. A small red LED flashed indicating that there was an incoming transmission. Ryan closed the ring and pocketed it again before sneaking out of class.

Ryan hurried down the hallway towards the bathroom. There he was surprised to see David as well. He noticed David pocket something as well when he walked in.

"Did you -"

"Yea. Your ring went off as well?" David asked.

"I thought the Dinosaucers left? Werent' they gone by now?" Ryan asked.

"It could be a malfunct-"

The secret scout rings flashed again. Same communicator light as before.

"Should we answer?" Ryan asked.

"Sure. What else could happen?" David replied, not so confident in his answer. He flipped open his ring.

"David here, come in lavadome. I repeat, David here." David said.

At first no response was received, then a slight buzz came through the ring. A dark growling emanated from the small speaker. Short phrases could be made out, then a voice came over. In a very dark and evil tone it said "The prince yet lives," then cut out. The ring was silent.

"The prince yet lives? This could probably be Allo playing a joke. Maybe they came back!" Ryan exclaimed.

"Very funny Allo. The Prince, good one!" David said.

The radio buzzed again.

"Prince, what prince? What the hell? Who is this?" A voice spat back angrily.

"That didn't sound like Allo..." Ryan said confusedly.

"Allo is gone dumb shit. What do you want?" Fireclaw shot back.

"That sounds like Fireclaw for sure. Fire its' Ryan and David." David replied.

"Oh... So it is. Well, this is awkward. What prince were you talking about?" Fireclaw replied slightly embarrassed.

"Our scout rings just had a transmission go through saying 'the prince yet lives,' not sure what it means though." Ryan explained.

David and Ryan cut their conversation when they heard the bathroom door from around the corner creak open. A junior walked in and gave them weird looks before going about his business. David and Ryan quickly left back to class without another word.


	2. Domestic Dispute

Chapter 2: Domestic Dispute

* * *

As Fireclaw attempted to land the only aircraft Allo had left him with in a small clearing, his awful piloting skills had caught up to him. The aircraft was powered by four main engines, all of which could turn on their own axis to allow very dynamic movement. Fireclaw tried to get them into hovering position but would turn two the wrong way, causing himself to spin or tilt dangerously. Once Fireclaw got it level again, he made a second and very humorous attempt. This time the nose of the craft shot vertically. The ship lost altitude quickly, and Fireclaw feared he'd wreck the craft again. Once for the second time he got the craft under control he made one last attempt at landing. Finally he lowered it correctly. The ship would on occasion veer to one side, then rotate slowly. Something stopped the ship about twenty feet from the ground. Chomper laughed as he came into view.

"Fire you're up a tree!" Chomper yelled between fits of laughter.

"Oh awesome! Now you try getting it down!" Fireclaw replied.

After re-lifting the ship and landing it properly, Fireclaw stepped out and was greeted by Chomper who laughed at his utter failure.

"So, now that I'm alive, what's first on the agenda?" Fireclaw asked.

"Topsy. Need I say more?" Chomper replied sternly.

Chomper and Fireclaw made their way over to the Thundering Falls, where a visibly upset threehorn met up with them.

"So basically while we still have our heads, Ozzy and Strut want to come back to the Valley. I've kept in touch and arranged plans, but then Brutus over here went into a rage fit." Chomper explained.

"I could see why. At least you gave me a heads up earlier so that I know to duck when he freaks out on us for knowing about this before he did. On that note, does anyone else know?" Fireclaw asked.

"Somewhat. Grandpa Longneck knows and actually met Ozzy and Strut after the Valmonway ordeal and I guess saw a difference in him." Chomper explained.

A loud bang ripped through the air. Fireclaw turned and quickly drew his pistol.

"Firearms training. I left Pterano to finish a session so that I could watch you crash." Chomper informed.

"I'm already impressed and I haven't even seen it yet. Did you take anything from the armory or was it all stashed here?" Fireclaw asked.

"Mostly from the armory, just a shotgun and small SMG." Chomper replied.

Fireclaw followed Chomper down a small path. After a walk through the thicker parts of the forest the trail opened up to a small clearing. Strut was holding a 12-gauge Mossberg down by his hip. He fired a few shells then handed it to Pterano. The recoil from the weapon nearly knocked him on his back a couple times.

"Next time try using the bead at the end of the barrell to fix your aim." Fireclaw said as he walked intot he open.

He caught strut by surprise. Fireclaw approached Pterano, who was reloading the shotgun and a 9mm handgun. Tapping Pterano's shoulder, Fireclaw asked Pterano in a hushed voice, "What is the current standing on Ozzy and Strut's citizenship in the Great Valley?" Pterano turned and faced Fireclaw.

"Mr. Threehorn won't agree at all, as expected. The rest are rather indifferent about it, but they aren't saying no." Pterano whispered back.

"What do you think it will take to convince him otherwise?" Fireclaw asked.

"Probably more than usual." Pterano replied.

"Hm. Well if that's what it takes then so be it." Fireclaw replied.

Fireclaw picked up the handgun and stood next to Ozzy, who was now waiting to shoot. He watched Fireclaw in awe as he pointed the pistol with one hand and emptied eight rounds into a tree in rapid succession, hitting every shot. He walked back to Pterano and loaded a new clip. He and Chomper left when he was finished.

Fireclaw and Chomper talked on their way over to the Great Meeting Place, a small area in the woods dedicated to solving important matters amongst grown-ups when Littlefoot caught up.

"What do you think the grown-ups are so upset about?" He asked curiously.

"it's probably about the egg stealers' citizenship in the Great Valley I'd assume." Fireclaw replied ignoring the irony in the sentence.

"It sounds like something else has their attention. they keep talking about glowing rocks up by the smoking mountains." Littlefoot said.

"Well now that we know how truly smart they are..." Fireclaw added sarcastically. Littlefoot appeared to have taken some offense to the remark.

"They mean that they glow in threes, and they're all over." Littlefoot added in defense of the grown-ups.

"They glow in threes? That's rather unusual, but it could still just be lava to be honest. Do they see them during the day or only at night?" Fireclaw asked.

"On occasion during the day, but usually at night. It's rare if they glow during the day." Littlefoot replied.

Chomper stopped walking and looked towards a treeline to his left. Littlefoot and Fireclaw stopped and looked as well, trying to figure out what he was seeing. The treeline was very thick and no light was able to break through the thick canopy of leaves. At first Fireclaw thought he could hear a faint whispering. The whispers were almost ghostly. He couldn't make out any legible sentences or worse, just a hushed whisper that made no sense to the living world. Littlefoot appeared to not hear anything at all. When asked, he shook his head. Chomper slowly proceeded towards the source of the whispering. The whispers grew louder as Fireclaw and Chomper approached a small shrub off to the side. Something was glowing from within. Fireclaw nudged the brush and felt something metal against his foot. Chomper reached down and felt something round and long. He grabbed the object and pulled it out of the bush. The whispers stopped and Chomper held a small black dagger about a foot in length. The blade was a jagged "Z" shape with a very sharp point. The blade glowed a light red color when held to the light.

"What the?" Chomper said under his breath.

"Now where did this come from?" Fireclaw asked.

"I... I have no idea. What kind of knife is this anyway?" Chomper asked while he turned the dagger over in his hand.

"Rather archaic looking thing. Looks like an assassin's blade almost." Fireclaw replied.

They hid the blade and continued quickly to the meeting place. As they got closer, they could hear a heated argument ensuing. Fireclaw, Littlefoot and Chomper kept quiet and moved closer. he signaled for Chomper and Littlefoot to stay back and stepped into the chaotic situation.

"Well I don't care what or how you think they've changed Pterano, you still aren't actually trying to allow them into our Valley are you? Especially the Sharptooth!" Topsy belted out in rage.

Redclaw attempted to scrawl away as Topsy tried to charge him. He ignored all please from Grandpa Longneck to stop and charged anyways. A sudden sharp pain in his front leg caused him to buckle and fall. Fireclaw walked out of the bushes and approached Topsy calmly. He grabbed the dagger he threw and thrust it deeper into Topsy's leg. Topsy let out a scream of pain that no one had ever heard before.

"I thought this was a peaceful assembly threehorn? What seems to be the problem?" Fireclaw said with a ton of wickness and darkness in his voice.

Topsy struggled to get words out as Fireclaw twisted the dagger hard to the right. He yelled out in pain as Fireclaw ripped the dagger out of the very bloody limped off as Fireclaw walked back towards the outer rim of the circle of angry and now shocked dinosaurs.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Speak damnit!" Fireclaw yelled. Noone said a word.

"Guess the floor is mine. So first off, concerning citizenship, what holds you back? The fact that they are outsiders? The fact that Redclaw is a sharptooth who's been modified?" Fireclaw asked. He was trying to invoke any kind of response.

"We already have one sharptooth in the Valley, and we don't need another!" Someone shouted. Fireclaw turned and faced him.

"So now you're discriminating? You son of a bitch, you dare discriminate because he's a sharptooth? Who are you talking to? Answer me that, who do you dare say that to?" Fireclaw angrily shot back. The clubtail cowered back.

"I think Redclaw has changed." Littlefoot said.

"Little-" Fireclaw interrupted Topsy when he put his hand on the dagger handle.

"What I meant was that yes, he has changed. It's just hard for the others to accept that he has." Topsy said instead of what he originally was going to say.

Nobody else could say anything else in fear of a negative reaction.

"Well if no one will argue anymore then I'll turn it back over to Grandpa Longneck." Fireclaw said as he stepped back.

"Now that Fireclaw has had his say, I think it's time that we reached an agreement. If anyone has any objection as to why Ozzy, Strut and Redclaw should gain citizenship, speak now." Grandpa Longneck said. A swimmer stepped forward.

"What if other sharpteeth follow?" She asked.

"I've made sure that no connections were left between them and the Mysterious Beyond. I've also reformed Ozzy over the years, so to speak." Fireclaw replied.

"And you're sure that they won't follow?" The swimmer asked.

"Of course. Redclaw and Chomper are atually with me anyways. I'm sure that you won't have any other sharpteeth begging for entry. Ozzy and Strut can help provide defense as well in case of future attacks." Fireclaw informed.

satisfied, the swimmer stepped back.

"Then in that case, Ozzy, Redclaw and Strut may stay in the Great Valley." Grandpa Longneck announced.

Littlefoot, Ozzy and Strut celebrated with jumping and shouts of glee and joy. Redclaw walked over and firmly shook Fireclaw's hand.

"It's official then." Redclaw said.

"Yep, it's settled. Welcome to the Great Valley." Fireclaw replied.


	3. The Portal

Chapter 3: The Portal

* * *

"Fire, wake up!" Chomper nudged.

"What? Seriously?" Fireclaw replied groggily.

"Fire come look at this!" Chomper said.

Fireclaw climbed out of bed and followed Chomper to Lavadome's control room. Redclaw was watching something on one screen, then typing something on another. He seemed very focused on whatever it was he was doing.

"Sorry I dragged you here, but this was urgent." Chomper informed.

One of the secret scouts managed to relay a photo of something at the football field of their high school The photo showed a ring of light floating in the right end zone just below the goal post. The ring showed something else in the center. Another room, but it wasn't a clear enough photo to tell exactly what the room looked like.

"Who sent this?" Fireclaw asked.

"David did, I'm trying to see if another popped up by chance, but I'm not having any luck." Redclaw replied.

"Wait how do you know him? And why the hell is he at school at 2:47 in the morning?" Fireclaw asked curiously.

"Chomper introduced me a while ago." He replied.

The time on the photo was 2:47 am, exactly as Fireclaw had said.

"It's like 3:00 now. This just got here?" Fireclaw asked.

"I guess so. That ring probably blocked the signal." Chomper suggested.

After a bit of thought Fireclaw grabbed the sword off of the wall. He grabbed the dagger off of the table behind him as well.

"Where are you going?" Chomper asked.

"To find David. I might know what that ring is!" Fireclaw called back from the hallway.

"Right..." Chomper replied skeptically.

"Do you really think he knows?" Redclaw asked.

"Of course not. I'll be impressed if he actually does figure it out. He managed to put our only spacecraft up in a tree back at the Great Valley, so I have little faith in him finding out what this thing is." Chomper said.

* * *

"David, come in."

David looked down at this secret scout ring.

"David it's Fireclaw, come in."

"David here, where are you?"

Fireclaw walked out from behind the bleachers. David as surprised to see him that fast.

"I'm everywhere and nowhere." Fireclaw replied in a mysterious tone. David noticed the sword on his back.

"Are you becoming a knight now?" David asked jokingly.

"You could say that. I need it to find that ring of light you saw at 2:47 in the morning on some random occasion which I probably will never know." Fireclaw replied sarcastically.

"How will you find that portal thingy with a sword? Seems almost magical." David replied.

"Because it is. It's weird to explain, but watch what I can do and I'm sure it'll answer whatever you're asking." Fireclaw replied.

Fireclaw held his blade out in front of him. Almost instantly, as if it were magnetic the blade began to turn. The tip of the sword pointed itself toward the same goal post that the picture showed.

"Getting warmer." Fireclaw assured. David looked on curiously.

As Fireclaw followed his sword, the blade began to dip lower and lower towards where the portal was. Eventually he was so close that the blade was pointing straight down.

"There definitely is something here. Probably an unknown energy or force. The sword itself keeps wanting to point right down." Fireclaw said.

"That's where that portal was." David replied, further confirming Fireclaw's suspicions.

"And you said nothing came through, right?" Fireclaw asked.

"Nothing. Just stayed there for a sec and disappeared again." David answered.

Fireclaw stuck his sword in the soft turf of the field. The blade began to vibrate. Fireclaw watched as the blade vibrated in small amounts, then grew to strong visible pulses. Soon the metal of the blade could be heard vibrating softly in pulses as well. The pulses grew faster and faster, and soon went from pulsing to a constant buzz. A slight rippling began to distort the air around his sword. The rippling took a circular form and soon began to emit a white light. The white circle spun in front of them, but no visible exit could be seen.

"Woah. Is this real?" David asked in complete awe.

"Yeah, it's real right. Should we step into it?" Fireclaw asked.

"What if we can't get back? How would we get home?" David asked.

"Well then we're screwed." Fireclaw replied.

David stepped away as Fireclaw stepped into the portal. Once Fireclaw had gone through, he turned to make sure the portal was still open. Fireclaw stood in awe of what he was seeing. The portal lead him to a room built of the whitest marble he had ever seen. Columns lined the walls, Torches lined the red carpet on the floor of the elegant chamber. he dome on the ceiling made him think of some Roman style buildings he'd seen when reading Sarah's history book. The chamber was magnificent! Fireclaw stepped away from the portal and to his surprise it vanished!

"Oh shit no!" He yelled.

Fireclaw searched for a way to reopen the portal, but his efforts were in vain. A feeling of dread began to overtake him. Rather than give up, Fireclaw walked down the carpet and explored the room a bit. The carvings of ancient times adorned the walls of the room hidden behind the colossal roman columns. The sound of footsteps startled him.

"You there! Freeze!" A deep male voice called.

Fireclaw turned and faced the voice's owner.

"By the divines! Fireclaw!" The rainbow face said.

"Falchion? What are you- You live here?!" Fireclaw asked in an extremely excited tone.

"How did you get here? This is the Palace of Seven Sires! It's almost impossible to break in here!" Falchion asked.

"Palace of what?" Fireclaw asked.

"It's one of our most sacred palaces, and for some reason you're in it!" Falchion explained trying to get Fireclaw to understand something he'd obviously never heard of.

"I'm so lost in many different ways right now." Fireclaw said with utter confusion.

"Here, follow me, hurry!" Falchion commanded.

Fireclaw hurried and caught up with Falchion and followed him down the hallway. Suits of very elegant looking armor made of gold and silver stood on each side as they proceeded down the hall. They each held a golden halberd at their sides, except for one. One suit of armor held an emerald-like Halberd, only it wasn't transparent like an emerald was, but solid like iron. It seemed to Fireclaw to be like an Iron Halberd colored emerald green.

Fireclaw stopped in front of a giant room with seven massive statues. All statues held a sword of some sort. As Fireclaw looked he noticed the statue of Valmonway on the far left. They were the statues of the Seven Sires that Allo has talked about before. It was part of a religious group Allo had always been involved with, but remained very quiet and secret about. Fireclaw began to remember the Valmonway incident and what the rainbow faces said about the stones containing an evil energy. Was that what possessed Ozzy instead of the actual Valmonway?

"Fireclaw come on!" Falchion hissed.

Fireclaw broke his gaze and hurried along.

"What was that room back there?"

"Those are the seven sires of Indra."

Fireclaw raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you mean of Indra?" He asked.

"Exactly what I said. Where do you think you are?" Falchion replied.

Falchion lead Fireclaw through room after room until they reached a door that was made slightly different than the rest.

"This is as far as I can go. Listen, don't draw attention to yourself, and whatever you do do not piss off the Indric Centurions!" Falchion stated.

"Wait what if I have to get back to Earth?" Fireclaw asked.

"I'll find you when that time comes. You won't be that hard to locate trust me." Falchion replied.

Falchion closed the door leaving Fireclaw on his own. Secretly Fireclaw for once was legitimately nervous. What was this place? Fireclaw wandered the town in front of the palace, paying attention to every detail. Something seemed extremely off about this place. As Fireclaw proceeded he'd noticed that it was very close to the feudal ages of Earth, again thanks to Sarah's history book that he'd steal on occasion. He'd also never seen so many rainbow faces before. Two were one thing, but most of the population was rainbow faces. Very rarely did anyone look like him. Most were shopkeepers selling some sort of magical item. Levitating stones, potions that Fireclaw dared not touch, swords and spears of various styles, and the most beautiful armor Fireclaw had ever seen. It closely resembled ceremonial armors that only the Reptillon Royalty would ever get to wear. Solid gold with jewels adorning nearly every crevice.

As Fireclaw rounded a corner someone ran up to him from behind.

"'Scuse me s'ah, spar a coin for a poor old lad?" A smaller rainbow face asked. He was very dirty and smelled funny.

Fireclaw wasn't sure what to say. he didn't want to say something wrong and give this guy the impression that he was different, that or he was flat broke and had no idea what any of the currency of this world was.

Suddenly the beggars eyes grew wide and he ran off quickly. Fireclaw's stomach turned.

"Falchion was right. You aren't hard to find at all." Someone said behind him. Fireclaw knew this voice.

He turned and drew his sword, but was shocked to see who had actually approached him.

"Valmonway! But how?" Fireclaw stammered in horror and slight amazement.

"Calm yourself. I come with no intention to fight." Valmonway replied.

"But how are you alive? I took your head! I saw it!"

Valmonway calmly approached Fireclaw, and for some reason it felt right for him to sheathe his blade.

"You slew my essence. The darkness in the Stone of Coldfire that consumed you and your friends. They existed for a reason Fireclaw, I thought they explained to you why they guard them closely." Valmonway replied.

Fireclaw remembered the shadowy energy that the stone gave off before he forged it into his first sword.

"Oh." Was all Fireclaw could say.

"Hm, I could tell you weren't an Indric from a mile away. We should do something about that." Valmonway said.

Fireclaw still couldn't grasp how Valmonway's well-kept Tyrannosaurus form matched the statue so perfectly. he was also in awe of the fact that Valmonway was actually alive.

"Fireclaw are you coming?" Valmonway asked.

"Yeah, sorry!" he called back.

Valmonway explained the Indric lifestyle, how the legal and political systems worked which to Fireclaw sounded very medieval, and other key points of how society worked in this strange world. As far as Fireclaw could tell it was extremely backwards compared to Reptillon and Earth. The two ascended the grand steps to the entrance to the palace. The guards immediately parted and stared in disbelief at what they were seeing.

"It's not often that a Sire walks these lands." Valmonway stated.

"I can tell. Are the Sires gods in this world?" FIreclaw asked.

"We are considered that. WE are the all-powerful rulers of the world, and receive praise from other worlds as well." Valmonway replied.

Fireclaw followed Valmonway through more halls and corridors once more. They finally stopped in front of a large set of golden double doors. The doors were elegantly made with intricate designs adorning it's shiny surface.

"By defeating my essence you've proven worthy to me to become my champion. Believe it it's not like I actually intended to send my stone down to your world, but you handled yourself well in the face of death and corruption. We also almost never pick mortal champions, yet when you defeated the essence's full form I saw potential in you." Valmonway stated. Fireclaw stood silent, still unsure of what to say.

Valmonway put his hand against the door and a loud unlocking sound came from within it. Guards ran to the scene anticipating an infiltration but instead were greeted with a once in a lifetime event. Falchion broke through the crows and stood in amazement. So much for not drawing attention. The doors swung open revealing nothing but a vast black doorway. The room was pitch dark. The light from the hall couldn't light the room's floor.

Valmonway and Fireclaw stepped in and the doors closed.

The crowd stood silent waiting to see what would happen next. Moments later the doors began to reopen. Fireclaw stepped out wearing his new hallowed armor. The elegant breastplate was adorned with jewels of various colors and the same style of wing-like engravings the doors had. His leggings bore the same amount of elegant detail. His helmet was solid gold with a silver lining around the opening for Fireclaw's face. The top of his helmet had a piece that resembles the bristles of a roman gladiator's helmet running front to back rather than side to side. Fireclaw's eye color also became blue, replacing his green color he had before. Valmonway never followed him out.

"Fireclaw you look amazing!" Falchion said.

"Feels a bit heavier but I like it." Fireclaw replied with a smile and joy in his voice.

"Surely there must be a reason why the real Valmonway would try to locate you. It can't be just for defeating his essence." Falchion said in his usual calculating and contemplative way.

"I wouldn't' doubt it. Look I hate to cut our meeting short but how the hell do I get back to Earth?" Fireclaw asked.

Falchion lead Fireclaw back to the portal room.

"Just stand at the gate, visualize your destination and raise your sword." Falchion told him.

After a few seconds Fireclaw raised his sword and Lavadome's control room was clear through the portal.

"I'm sure I'll be back." Fireclaw said before leaving.

When the light gate closed behind him Firelcaw turned and faced the control room. Chomper, Pterano and Redclaw stared with their eyes wide open at him.

"Holy shit Fireclaw where did you go?" Redclaw asked.

"The portal. Long story." Fireclaw replied.

He sat on a couch nearby and slouched.

"If you need me I'll be here." Fireclaw said.

He flipped his face mask down and fell asleep.


	4. Something on the Horizon

Chapter 4: Something on the Horizon

* * *

Fireclaw had awoken around noon to the sound of Pterano and Quackpot discussing something nearby. By the sound of it they seemed to pay no attention to the gleaming gold Fireclaw sitting within twentyfive feet from them. His movement interrupted their conversation.

"Yo, what are you talking about? Fill me in?" Fireclaw called out still half asleep.

He flipped up the facemask on his helmet and took his helmet off.

"And here I thought you were a decoration. I forgot that you were there. Where did you get that armor, anyhow?" Pterano asked.

"You probably wouldn't believe me." Fireclaw replied.

"Well you're wearing it. That must count for something." Quackpot replied.

"Okay. I got it from Valmonway. The real Valmonway." Fireclaw stated.

"How? You killed him four years ago. How could he even be living right now?" Pterano asked.

"We apparently killed a dark essence rather than him himself. It was what was released from the Stone of Coldfire when I forged it. That or it was Ozzy when he found it, I forget." Fireclaw explained.

"Well, that's rather bizarre." Pterano stated out of disbelief.

"Anyway, Pterano and I were talking about training Ozzy and Strut to use weapons and such as a line of defense against Sharpteeth." Quackpot said.

"That's funny that you call them Sharpteeth, Quackpot." Fireclaw said with a chuckle.

"It just stuck. Everyone else says it." He replied.

"So have you also thought of hand to hand or at least melee combat?" Fireclaw asked.

"We would hope that you would have actually, seeing that you're the best of us all here." Pterano said.

"I have an idea of where we could go if they want to learn how to fight with a Halberd." Fireclaw said.

"A halberd?" Pterano replied.

"It's a combination of a spear and an axe. They are also referred to as Polearms generally." Fireclaw explained.

"And just where do you plan to teach them that?" Pterano asked.

"Remember the rainbow faces?" Fireclaw asked.

"Yes, I do. Why do you ask?" Pterano replied.

Fireclaw looked back and forth at Pterano and Quackpot in a schemish way. They looked back curious as to what was on his mind.

"Let's just say we talked recently." Fireclaw said mysteriously.

"So you have actually seen them?" Pterano asked.

Fireclaw went and retrieved a house plant from the corner of the room. He placed it on the floor in front of the table where Pterano and Quackpot were sitting. If those two werent' confused yet they surely would be now.

"Fireclaw what are you doing? Trimming the hedges?" Quackpot asked.

Fireclaw grinned and raised his sword point down high above his head. After a few seconds he thrust it straight into the soft soil. THe blade made a clink sound as it made contact with the bottom of the pot. At first Pterano and Quackpot began to laugh, but suddenly just as quickly Fireclaw destroyed the plant life a ring of light appeared before them. THe two sat speechless.

"Funny, isn't it?" Fireclaw asked mockingly.

"What did you do?" Quackpot asked in amazement.

"Step through. Do stay close to me though. I don't know much about this place either." Fireclaw informed.

Both hesitated to go through in fear that something may happen. After a second or two Quackpot and Pterano stepped into the ring of light. Fireclaw sheathed his sword and just before stepping through noticed the dagger sitting on a counter-top. Fireclaw grabbed it and stashed it at his side before slipping into the next world.

Pterano and Quackpot were fascinated by the magnificent architecture. They stood in awe of the giant room they stood in.

"Stay close. Don't wander." Fireclaw said.

"Fireclaw followed the same route when he came through the first time. Once they'd reached the outside of the palace Fireclaw went back up the front steps to give the impression that he wasn't inside the building before. He was recognized almost immediately by the guards at the front of the stair set, who greeted him with a salute by tipping his helmet towards Fireclaw. Fireclaw returned the gesture accordingly.

"How'd you get known so fast?" Quackpot asked.

"The same way I got my armor. Come on, were going to find a weapons master." Fireclaw replied.

"What is this place?" Pterano asked.

"From what I was told it's called the Palace of Seven SIres. The same Sires from that weird religious group Allo's a part of." Fireclaw replied.

The main foyer of the palace kept the marble theme with two staircases that ran opposite of each other. A very large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling by a golden chain. Quackpot couldn't stop staring.

"Fireclaw! You're back!" Falchion called out.

"Falchion! Hey, question, who is the one who controls the armory, or at least deals with weapons training." Fireclaw asked.

"You're looking for Aldus. He's the armory commander. Well who are you looking to have trained?" Falchion asked.

"Ozzy and Strut. I'm not sure who else would learn what." Fireclaw replied.

"I see. Well anyhow, he may train them if he sees potential, but that's rare. What would they want to learn?" Falchion asked.

"Halberds." Fireclaw stated. Falchion gave him a look of confusion.

"Halberds? I'll admit I doubt Ozzy and Strut have ever heard the word, but he trains with Halberds as well for some of the traditional legion members. Are they actually interested in learning stave-like weaponry?" Falchion asked.

"I'm sure they would be, I didn't even think to ask." Fireclaw said dumbfoundedly.

"Here's an idea, bring one back and see if they like it. See how they stand with it, some slices and stabs, and just how they are with it in General." Falchion said.

Fireclaw, Pterano and Quackpot followed Falchion to a small room just off the main foyer. inside was a small collection of steel swords, shields, knives and more. Falchion grabbed a Halberd off of it's wall mount and handed it to Fireclaw.

"It's pretty light weight. It has a counter weight at the butt to help balance theblade and spearpoint at the top." Falchion explained.

Fireclaw balanced the Halberd on one hand. The weapon lay perfectly still on the back of his hand. He examined the blade and spear. He poked the tip a few times, then moved to the edge of the axe plade. The blade was honed perfectly and was razor sharp. Fireclaw could tell that an expert took good care of all the weapons in the small armory.

"I like it. It's in pristine condition and seems pretty level. I think we could give it a shot. Who knows, maybe Ozzy and Strut would get into using this." Fireclaw said.

Fireclaw handed the Halberd to Pterano, who examined it with great curiousity. Quakpot soon found himself mesmerized by the weapon as well.

The three followed Falchion back to the portal room. Fireclaw reopened the portal and allowed Quackpot and Pterano through.

Just as Fireclaw went to step through Falchion lightly grabbed his shoulder to get his attention.

"Fireclaw listen, I noticed you have that dagger with you. Where did you find it?" Falchion asked.

"Chomper and I found it on our way to a meeting in the Great Valley. It was just in some bushes and whispering loudly." Fireclaw explained.

Falchion raised his eyebrow.

"You found it in a bush? Do you actually know what it is you're carrying?" He replied.

Fireclaw looked at him puzzled.

"A whispering dagger? Is it significant other than the fact that it makes you think you're crazy?" Fireclaw replied.

"That dagger is the fabled Rex Fang. It was whispering because of the soul trapped inside of it." Falchion told him.

Fireclaw removed the dagger from his vest and turned it over in his hands. To him it looked like an ordinary (or not so ordinary) dagger with a strange jagged design for the blade.

"It can trap souls?" Fireclaw asked.

"What the dagger is made of is what gives it the ability to do such. It does have the ability to trap souls, that's what blackstone is primarily used for." Falchion explained.

"Blackstone? I thought this was obsidian." Fireclaw said.

"You'd think so. Blackstone is only native to the hallow. Believe me when I say this Fireclaw you don't want this to fall in the wrong hands. And speaking of which, that was my next point I wanted to get to. Fireclaw something's been happening recently here and it's been causing a stir. Aside from you and the real Valmonway, we have reason to believe that Aeris and I may be coming back to Earth soon." Falchion said.

"Why? What's going on? Tyrannos?" Fireclaw asked.

"Not directly Tyranno influence, but there may very well be at some point. I've watched from the shadows enough to know who Genghis Rex is and what he wants. There's another key player though that wants that dagger as well. A hallowed prince named Ogmund Catona." Falchion explained.

"Hallowed prince? Like a king or..?" Fireclaw asked.

"Sort of. They aren't necessarily the most important figures unless somehow they gain access to divine power, and it's happened in the past. The soul the dagger contains the most powerful Hallowed prince that ever lived. He was assassinated by that exact dagger you hold now by the Blackscale legion. Upon his death, the leader took the dagger and tried to use it for himself. The result was devastating. Utter madness. The leader couldn't handle the power from the dagger and drove himself insane. He would later give the dagger to an unknown party before committing suicide." Falchion explained.

Fireclaw looked down at the dagger with some dismay. He thought about the damages that could be done to him if this thing is as powerful as Falchion is making it out to be.

"So basically the power drove him crazy? Why would anyone want this?" Fireclaw asked.

"It also is what necromancers lust for. This blade has the power to resurrect nearly anything so long as they have a body to be brought back in. Even then if a necromancer is powerful enough he can recreate the soul's original body using the dagger's power. That's how powerful the soul in this dagger is. Catona wants to use it to basically take over Earth using the fallen dinosaurs of the rest of the world. The dinosaurs of the Great Valley would become his slaves, and the resurrected would become his army. Genghis Rex wants this power for himself as well and is willing to try to create some 'alliance' with Catona, but Catona will end up killing him in the long run." Falchion explained.

Fireclaw's stomach dropped. He'd known the Tyrannos were colossal failures at a lot of things but he'd never have expected Genghis Rex to go as far as to break the barrier between life and death. Genghis Rex has no idea what he could be dealing with, yet he's willing to take the reigns and risk it all for the sake of taking one planet. It didn't surprise Fireclaw at all that he would be willing to go through with it, but what of his remaining Tyrannos?

"Fireclaw, I don't mean to keep you waiting, so I will say this. It's only a matter of time now. Forces are being assembled as we speak and there's nothing we can do about it until they lay their cards on the table and make their move first. The Tyrannos will get involved, I have no doubt about it. We will be seeing each other again." Falchion said.

With that Fireclaw sheathed the dagger and nodded in acknowledgement. He stepped through the portal before it closed behind him.

Pterano and Quackpot were busy gathering small things they'd need before going to the Great Valley. The halberd stood against the wall near the door to the control room nearly getting knocked over by Pterano as he hurried about. Fireclaw couldn't get his mind off of a potential war arising between not only the Tyrannos again but now a more powerful force. His main worries were who he was really dealing with and what the dagger could really do if it was in the hands of this prince. Fireclaw remembered when his sword of Coldfire nearly drove him to kill absolutely everyone once before. His hopes were that the dagger wouldn't cause the same for someone who could possibly have a divine superpower within his grasp.

"Hey Fireclaw, what took you so long?" Quackpot asked, breaking Fireclaw's train of thought.

"Oh, nothing, I'll explain it later. It's... well not good." Fireclaw said.

"What do you mean? Was it about Valmonway?" Pterano asked.

"No actually, something a little bit worse. He's not really involved but... Oh hell with it. The Tyrannos could be coming back." Fireclaw declared.

Quackpot and Pterano immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at Fireclaw in horror of what he just said.

"What- What makes you say that?" Quackpot asked nervously.

"I'm not sure if you saw this but this dagger is extremely powerful apparently, and a Hallowed Prince and Rex want it." Fireclaw said as he removed the dagger once more.

Pterano and Quackpot both examined it closely. They both looked at it and seemed to question what could be so powerful about it.

"It's just a dagger. What's so unique about it?" Pterano asked.

"One word. Resurrection." Fireclaw said.

"Resurrection? Like raising the dead? How... how would you even manage that?" Quackpot asked.

"The prince may have a way. Rex will want in on it for sure if he does." Fireclaw said.

After a brief pause, Fireclaw picked up the Halberd and went to find some sort of case to store it in.

"Listen, don't worry about it now. Whatever happens happens. We can't really control anything at this point, but I really hope that this is just hearsay and that none of this is actually bound to happen." Fireclaw said in denial.

Of course he knew it would happen, why would the portal to the hallowed land have even opened on the football field in the first place?

The three loaded up the aircraft with their equipment and other supplies before heading off for the Great Valley. The flight there was a rather uncomfortable one. Fireclaw's mind was more stressed over what Falchion had told him. Pterano was worried about having to face Rex after outright betraying him. Quackpot also feared the same. Upon arriving Redclaw met them at the landing space. Pterano and Quackpot began to unload what they brought while Fireclaw shut the ship entirely down.

Fireclaw climbed out of the ship and stepped onto the grass. As he walked towards the back of the ship Redclaw called his name. He turned to see him, Chomper and Littlefoot standing in the trees waiting for him. Fireclaw jogged over to them.

"What's up? Kinda surprised to see you here." Fireclaw said.

"Fireclaw... Something's happened..." Chomper said in a very distressed tone. Fireclaw could tell he was deeply bothered.

"What's wrong? Is everyone alright?" Fireclaw asked.

"Everyone's alright, but I can't say the same for the Great Wall..." Redclaw said.

"What do you mean? It's still there right?" Fireclaw asked, this time with a little more aggression in his voice.

"Let's just say it's upgraded." Littlefoot chimed in.

"Well show me what you're talking about, I'm still clueless." Fireclaw demanded.

The four of them made their way across the Great Valley at a brisk pace. Fireclaw began to think that maybe everything was beginning to fall apart before they were even prepared. A thick black smoke began to rise from over a hilltop that hadn't been there before. Fireclaw's jog became a dead sprint as he ran to get on top of the hill. Once he'd rounded the top he could see the Great Wall clearly. He could also see the flaming meteor sitting where wall used to be. The meteor was burning with a bright blue flame. Blue orbs swirled around it at high speeds like the meteor was an atom.

"Holy shit. When did this hit?" Fireclaw asked.

"About twenty minutes ago. Damn thing shook the whole valley but it hadn't started to flame up until just now." Redclaw replied.

Upon closer inspection Fireclaw could see that this wasn't an ordinary meteor, but a giant stone of Coldfire. The sleek black surface of the massive burning stone triggered memories of Fireclaw's sword. All four of them knew that this wasn't happening by chance. Something was about to happen.

"Should we evacuate the Valley?" Chomper asked.

"It's too late. Evacuating would be the worst idea. Littlefoot and Chomper go back and tell everyone to prepare themselves. Get their children and relatives together at their nest and prepare to hold their ground. There could be more where that came from, or possibly something else is following it." Fireclaw said with a commanding tone.

Chomper and Littlefoot hurried back to the grown-ups. Fireclaw and Redclaw both looked at the massive stone in awe.

"Where could this have come from? It's massive." Redclaw asked rhetorically.

"I may have an idea. I also have something to tell you that may pertain to this. The Tyrannos may be coming back. Now I'm confident they might." Fireclaw said.

Redclaw grew angry inside.

"Rex. So he's coming back. If there isn't anything I'd do to get my teeth around that son of a bitch's throat. Why would he come back now?" Redclaw's anger seethed from him.

"There's a Prince from the world of the Rainbow faces, and he wants to take over the world in the most insane way possible. He wants to use the dagger I threw at Topsy earlier to basically resurrect the dead. Crazy right?" Fireclaw explained.

"He... Rex could never handle something like that! He can barely control himself when he gains the upper hand at anything! Having the power to break the line between life and death is insanely powerful for someone like him, let alone anybody!" Redclaw shouted in reply.

The fire engulfing the stone disappeared. The stone now lay a dormant asteroid and no longer a blue inferno. Fireclaw and Redclaw looked at it with great discomfort. Fireclaw had a feeling it wouldn't be long before he saw action once again.

"Come on, let's go see if Ozzy and Strut got to test their new weapon." Fireclaw said.

"New weapon? Oh you mean the rifle?" Redclaw asked implying about the rifle case Fireclaw put the Halberd in.

"No, you'll see. I'm surprised I was able to fit this into a rifle case though." Fireclaw replied.

The two made their way back across the Great Valley still plagued by the thought of why the stone would land yet again in the Great Valley, only this time in a much larger size. As they neared the nesting grounds they could hear Ozzy and Strut trying to figure out how to use the halberd. It made Fireclaw chuckle to listen to them swing it at trees and plants. Redclaw seemed to enjoy it equally as much. They walked up on a small clearing in the trees where Pterano, Quackpot, Littlefoot and Cera were watching from the side.

"So I see you're figuring out how to use the halberd." Fireclaw said over Ozzy and Strut's entertained voices.

Ozzy planted the butt of the halberd on the ground and looked over at Fireclaw. Strut went off to gather some plants to tie together with grass and hack at with the axe part of the halberd.

"Where did you find something like this? It's- different." Ozzy said.

"I have connections. So what do you think then? I was thinking about training you to use it if you liked it. Spears can be pretty useful, but you could also learn axe styles as well with it you wanted." Fireclaw explained.

"Ozzy, I found some bushes we can cut!" Strut called out from a small patch of grass.

"I like it. It's fun to use, as dangerous as it is. What did you mean by training though?" Ozzy said.

"I may know someone who could teach you how to use that. The reason I wanted to train you is so that the Great Valley has some defense from fastbiters. You'll need to know how to use a gun if you want to fight off sharpteeth, but this is a pretty effective way of dealing with fastbiters as well trust me. I'm sure you wouldn't want to end up on the end of this thing impaled in the air." Fireclaw said.

"True, when would you want to do this?" Ozzy replied.

"I'd have to make arrangements, but at least I know this is what you want to do. I'm sure Strut feels the same way." Fireclaw replied.

After some idle conversation about the halberd, Fireclaw took it from Ozzy. At first Fireclaw took a standard spear fighting stance, then did some basic thrusts and turns. He then did some more advanced techniques, like spear to axe and vice versa. Everyone seemed impressed by his skill with it. Littlefoot and Cera were very intrigued by it.

After finishing his demonstration, Fireclaw walked back over to his small audience. He handed the halberd off to Ozzy and motioned for him to follow him towards the open field.

"Come on, I'll show you some things to get started. It's not that hard." Fireclaw told him.


	5. Meeting His Majesty

Chapter 5: Meeting His Majesty

Sorry I haven't been updating chapters that often, I've just had school and work ahead of me. I have further chapters written in a notebook, so I haven't abandoned the story.

* * *

Friday nights were always the Secret Scouts favorites for obvious reasons. Friends could get together and discuss the events of the previous day. For some, it could be a way to make new friends, as in one night for Sarah. Down at a local cafe Sarah and her friend Gabriella were enjoying a cup of coffee and working a small project for school. So much time and effort were poured into this project to make the best diorama of a frog for Biology that they weren't' about to stop.

Sarah raised her head to see who came in when the bell above the door chimed to see a girl in a biker's outfit carrying a motorcycle helmet. She looked to be about Sarah's age and close to her height. She was very thin and lean. Her figure was in near perfect shape when she moved and walked. Sarah couldn't tell why, but she felt something off about this girl. She'd never really seen her before and felt nervous at her appearance. The girl turned and looked at Sarah and lit up with a smile.

"Hi! You must be Sarah Spencer!" The girl chimed.

"Uhh, yeah that's me." Sarah replied sheepishly.

"I'm Veronica Lewis. I've just moved here from Illinois and I've heard a lot about you!"

Veronica's sudden and strange introduction made Sarah somewhat uneasy. How did Veronica find Sarah anyway? Was it just by chance? Sara was at a loss for words. She looked Veronica over and noticed something under gloves in her helmet, a pistol. Why would a high school girl need to carry a pistol around?

"I'm sorry to bother you. See you at school Monday!" Veronica called as she hurried out of the cafe.

Sarah noticed something peculiar about the pistol's handle. Five years prior Sarah remembered Fireclaw having a custom handgun built for Allo as an egg-day present. The very large Dinosaucer emblem engraved into the side set off a few flags in Sarah's mind. Who actually is Veronica?

"Hey, Gab, I need to do something. I'll be right back." Sarah said.

"That's fine. I'll be here." She replied.

Sarah stepped outside and flipped open her secret scouts ring. She pressed the call button and within a few seconds had Fireclaw on the line.

"Hey Sarah, what's up?" He asked.

"remember that gun you had made for Allo?" Sarah asked.

"The one for his egg day? Yea, why? That thing cost me a fortune and a half." Fireclaw replied.

"A girl named Veronica Lewis found me just now and had it in her motorcycle helmet." Sarah said.

After a brief pause Fireclaw replied, "Are you sure that's Allo's handgun?"

"It had the Dinosaucers emblem on the handle. It had to be it." Sarah replied.

"How the... And you said her name was what?" Fireclaw asked.

"Veronica Lewis. She's new at our school." Sarah almost refused to believe she could even be human at this point.

"No she's not, doesn't come up on any of your school's rosters at all." Fireclaw replied.

"How did you get my class roster?" Sarah asked.

"Magic!" Fireclaw said with a chuckle.

Something moved behind Sarah. She closed her ring and went around the Cafe to investigate.

"You're smart to trust your instincts, Sarah. Only one problem, never go into an alley or bind a building out of sight, especially during the night." A female voice spoke.

Sarah turned around and saw Veronica standing by a garbage can. She held Allo's custom 9mm Beretta towards the ground casually.

"Veronica! I-"

"Calm yourself. I wish to talk." Veronica interrupted.

Veronica walked up to Sarah and handed her the gun.

"Look closely and tell me who I am." Veronica replied.

Having Allo's personal handgun meant she was close to him, but what human lives on Reptillon?

"Maybe this will help."

Veronica stepped back and hit a button on her arm band. She immediately was enveloped in a white light, then returned to normal. Veronica was really a dinosaur!

"Your'e a Dinosaucer as well?" Sarah asked surprised.

"Not by standard means. I'm Allo's daughter, Alloete, but friends call me Alura." Alura explained.

"What are you doing here? I thought the Dinosaucers were gone except for Fireclaw, Quackpot, Terrible-Dactyl and Chomper." Sarah said.

"They are. I'm here against my Father's wishes, but something has happened and I need to find Fireclaw immediately." Alura said.

"What happened? Are the other Dinosaucers alright?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, for now. Where is Fireclaw?" Alura asked.

"I would assume Lavadome. He was working on something there last I actually talked to him." Sarah replied.

Alura nodded. She took a small object out of her pocket and gave it to Sarah.

"Guard this with your life. It could save it if need be." Alura said.

Alura turned and walked back around the cafe. When Sarah rounded the same corner Alura was gone. She opened her hand to see what it was Alura gave her. A small round object shone back at her in the light of the streetlamp in front of the cafe. It was a sapphire. How could this save her life? After putting the sapphire in her pocket, she opened her scout ring and hit the call button.

* * *

Back at Lavadome Fireclaw was sharpening the dagger out of boredom when the screen next to him flashed "Incoming Call." He hitt he answer button and the screen shut off.

"Damnit, another glitch." Fireclaw cursed under his breath. The screen flashed a second time. He hit the answer button expecting it to be Chomper but got nothing of the sort.

"Fi - cl - Rex - Tyran - re - ning..." A very broken transmission sputtered through the speakers.

"Come again? Who is this?" Fireclaw asked. He got no reply. he could hear whispering behind him. He grabbed his sword and brandished it with the dagger at the back wall. Of course there was nothing there. Lavadome had no reason to be haunted, unless the spirit was after something else. Fireclaw chuckled at the thought.

"Chomper?" Fireclaw called out.

Fireclaw waited and heard nothing. The control room door opened and Quackpot entered the room looking visibly shaken.

"Quackpot, are you alright?" Fireclaw asked.

"Yeah, for the most part." Quackpot replied.

"What's wrong? Lose your ghost? He tried talking to me a second ago." Fireclaw joked. Quackpot didnt' find it as funny as he did.

"Fireclaw who's Catona again?"

His stomach dropped. His face turned from his humored expression to cold, blank and lifeless.

"Who? You mean who I told you about earlier... Prince Catona? Prince Ogmund Catona?" Fireclaw asked.

"He was just at the Secret Scout's school. No one was there but I ran into him. He's twisted Fireclaw. He's twisted in many ways." Quackpot explained.

"How so? What did he say?"

"He plans to capture the scouts to gain an alliance with Genghis Rex and the remaining Tyrannos. If he does it, it could happen. He didn't care whether I knew his plan or not because he thinks he's unstoppable." Quackpot explained.

"And judging by his homeland's medieval hospitality, would be very surprised if that's what he was actually after." Fireclaw said.

The control room door opened. A female dinosaur walked in and caught Fireclaw off guard.

"Fireclaw, we need to talk." She said.

"Who the hell are you? And how did you get in here?" Fireclaw demanded.

"My name is Alura, but you knew me as Alloete." Alura said.

Quackpot recoiled in horror. Fireclaw stared in complete disbelief when she said her name. Fireclaw hadn't seen her since she was a small girl. Now she was built to kill an emperor.

"Wait, you're Allo's daughter? What... I have no words." Fireclaw stammered.

"My alias is Alura. I go by that name to protect my real identity." She stated again.

"You're Allo's daughter? I just... what?" Fireclaw said still not buying the situation.

"Will this help prove myself?" Alura asked as she handed Fireclaw her pistol.

Fireclaw inspected it closely and just as Sarah said, there was the Dinosaucers' insignia embedded into both sides of the pistol's handle. After a brief moment to regain his composure, he handed it back.

"So you are his daughter. What are you doing here?" Fireclaw asked.

"I'm here because of Catona. He is the reason I left Reptillon. Catona knows about you. I don't know how, but he wants you either dead or in chains. I also fear that Genghis Rex might try to form an alliance with him for the sake of revenge." Allura explained.

"I know. He only lost Redclaw and two other Tyrannos, anyway. Where is Catona now?" Fireclaw asked.

"he was in another town looking for 'secret scouts'. Perhaps he's recruiting spies." Alura replied.

"No, he's going to capture our friends, shit!" Fireclaw yelled.

Fireclaw hurried out of the control room and down the hall to the armory. He cursed in frustration when he fumbled with the keypad to the door. Once inside he went over to a rack containing a small plasma rifle, two railguns and a throwable saw blade attached to a chain. He'd bought the sawblade on a secret return trip to Reptillon for weapons and ammo as a joke to surprise Allo, ultimately he'd forgotten about it even being in the armory in the first place. He grabbed a railgun and ten high velocity slugs, along with ammo for his magnum revolver and ran back out of the armory forgetting to close the door. Chomper siezed the opportunity to stock up with weapons for himself before leaving as well. Quackpot decided to stay behind and be the eyes and ears of the sudden mission while Alura retrieved two machine pistols from the armory. There were still enough weapons left over to start a small war. Allo never liked the fact that there were weapons nearby of such high calibers, but he kept them when Fireclaw had convinced him that it was a good idea to have a stash.

During the flight out to the Secret Scouts' hometown Quackpot would guide them and offer advice based on information he could pull together back at base. Chomper found himself in control of the ship out of fear that Fireclaw would cause a wreck like he usually does.

Alura retrieved two parachutes from a cabinet above Fireclaw while he loaded the railgun. An exposed energy coil on the top of the weapon hummed to life once a round was chambered. A thin layer of super-heated plasma covered the coil indicating that the weapon was ready and loaded. Fireclaw was unsure of where the Hallowed Prince was, or if he was alone. He'd anticipated that Catona would be heavily guarded due to him being a prince. Fireclaw fastened his sword to his back and prepared to jump.

"Chomper, get above the central park and drop us there! I have an idea!" Fireclaw said.

"Fire be careful. It looks like chaos down there." Quackpot's voice replied over his earpiece radio.

"Is that smoke?" Chomper asked.

Over the horizon smoke billowed above a hill. The thick dark smoke made Fireclaw nervous to drop, but he wanted to do it anyway. He began to rethink his plan as they approached town. If the park was on fire, he wasn't wanting to land there, but where else could he drop that he could almost instantly find his way?

Chomper prepared to enter the smoke when a giant fireball flew up past the windshield of the aircraft. Chomper jerked hard to the left causing Fireclaw to hit the wall Allura was sitting against.

"Chomper what the hell?" Fireclaw shouted while rubbing his bleeding nose.

"We've got rockets!" Chomper called back.

"You've got to be shitting me. They were prepared." Allura cursed.

"Allura strap yourself down!" Fireclaw yelled.

He strapped himself to the door of the passenger bay of the ship while Allura fastened herself to the seat. She had no idea what Fireclaw had in mind.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Allura said.

"No, but what else can we do?" Fireclaw replied.

Gravity began to shift down towards the drop gate at the back of the ship. The gate opened and revealed a burning building on the street, as well as five archers. Their arrows were igniting as they left the bow and becoming flying infernos.

"Chomp, those are arrows!" Fireclaw shouted.

Fireclaw grabbed the railgun and fired once, hitting a soldier on the roof of a bank. Another arrow rocked the ship hard. Once the railgun's charge had been restored, Fireclaw took careful aim and fired once more. The solder closest to him on the roof fell into the street below in a puff of blood. The remaining three scattered quickly.

"I think we should drop here! If we don't we could lose the aircraft!" Allura shouted over the loud engines outside.

"Guess we'll have to!" Fireclaw replied.

With parachutes attached Fireclaw cut himself free and slid out of the cargo hold. Allura followed closely behind. Fireclaw's chute opened the minute they left the passenger bay. Smoke rose from all around them. The streets were a mess. Wrecked cars burned, buildings were either on fire or falling apart, and deep cracks formed where the road buckled and broke.

"This place is a mess!" Allura shouted.

"I know! How long has the town been getting hit for?" Fireclaw asked rhetorically.

A car exploded behind them causing them to cringe.

"Let's get moving!" Allura shouted.

"Hang on! I want one of these bows." Fireclaw replied.

Fireclaw searched the rubble in front of the bank until he unearthed one of the bows that were used against the ship. Searching a little bit further revealed the quiver of arrows the archer had.

"Let's go!" Fireclaw shouted.

The two ran up a street in hopes of finding a way to the secret scouts. All other streets had been blocked off by debris. The entire town was ravaged. Building after building was left destroyed, most if not all vehicles suffered the same fate as well.

"Fireclaw can you hear me?" Quackpot said over the radio.

"Yea! Listen what am I dong? Guide me!" Fireclaw replied.

"Okay, there is a four-way stop ahead. Go right." Quackpot instructed.

Allura and Fireclaw rounded the next corner and were greeted by a storm of arrows. Allura returned fire with a machine pistol, killing two archers. Fireclaw used the railgun to finish off another. The remaining ones retreated just as the first two had.

"We must be close if they're in numbers like that." Allura said.

"That or desperate as all hell." Fireclaw replied.

Fireclaw made his way up the street by diving for cover each move he made. Every now and then a random arrow would hit the concrete next to him. After reaching the end of the street, Allura followed the same path Fireclaw had.

"Alright, where now?" Allura asked.

The sound of a rocket overhead scared the two of them. Fireclaw ducked for cover and flipped up a scope on the railgun. He examined any possible exits and potential paths before carefully choosing his next move. Quackpot was out of reach due to a signal issue.

"Let's go straight. I know this street, it should lead us to David's house." Fireclaw said.

"I hope you know what you're doing!" Allura replied.

The two ran through the empty intersection and the following street in a zig-zag pattern. An arrow attack was highly anticipated, so it was best to attempt to throw them off any way they could. The two then took cover behind a rolled over car. They were now on David's street. Fireclaw's heart was beating hard against his chest. Who would he find? David? Or another set of archers in greater numbers than before. An idea came to Fireclaw. What if he used the bow?

"Allura hold this" Fireclaw said as he handed Allura the railgun.

"What are you doing? Why use a bow, this works just fine!" Allura asked.

"You'll see hopefully." Fireclaw replied.

Almost instantly the bow grew accustomed to Fireclaw. A surge of power ran up Fireclaw's arm and back to the bow. His hand felt very hot.

"What the-"

Taking aim at David's front door, Fireclaw went down on one knee and drew back an arrow. A red aura began to surround the tip. He released the arrow, and just as it had before, the arrow became a raging inferno. It blew down the door of David's house with ease.

"Let's hope he's here." Fireclaw said.

The two ran into his living room. No sign of him anywhere. They searched the house up and down with unsuccessful results. Worry began to set in.

"Shit where is he!" Fireclaw shouted in frustration.

"Um, Fireclaw look outside!" Allura shouted from downstairs.

He charged down and stopped dead in his tracks. In the five minute period Allura and Fireclaw raided David's house to find him, an army had gathered itself and was marching up the street. A Tyranno armada marched at them in a near impossible amount. They could never hold it off. Their leader was wearing the same style armor as Fireclaw. An Indric commander leading Tyrannos?

The mass stopped at the intersection Fireclaw and Allura came from earlier.

"No way..." Fireclaw said under his breath.

The commander stepped forward.

"Hello Fireclaw. Fancy meeting you here on a nice day such as this. Out for a stroll?" He said in a heavy English accent.

"Who the hell are you?" Fireclaw snapped back.

The longneck leader recoiled his head upon Fireclaw's response. his red skin reflected the flames around him well.

"You dare speak to a royal member in such a manner? I thought you'd have better etiquette in the presence of a your Dinosorcer be impressed?" The commander retorted.

"Catona." Fireclaw growled.

"Prince Catona to you." He replied.

Catona looked around at the destruction caused.

"Isn't' it beautiful? Seeing a new world born from the ashes and embers of the old?" Catona asked.

"So you do have plans to destroy the world. Of course. Somehow it doesn't surprise me you would want to." Fireclaw said.

"Now now, my child. Destruction is only a phase. The world must be cleansed before it may be reborn. Of course you'd know nothing of the sort." Catona replied.

"Doesn't matter. You won't win this world over from me anyway. I'll make sure of it." Fireclaw declared coldly.

Catona's icy stare fixed itself upon Fireclaw. He grew impatient with their meeting. Fireclaw raised the railguna nd aimed it at Catona. He seemed unphased by it.

"Very well, Fireclaw, living or dead we shall meet again!" Catona shouted.

His form turned black as night, then vanished. It was now Allura and Fireclaw against a massive Tyranno onslaught.

"Oh shit, what do we do now?" Fireclaw said under his breath.

"Run!" Allura shouted as she turned to make her escape.

Fireclaw and Allura dodged fossilizer beams and arrows while running blindly up the street. With each street corner they turned a wave of soldiers would already beat them there. They were being boxed in fast.

Just as Allura and Fireclaw had run out of options, a loud whirring sound began to rise behind them. The engines of a space ship roared to life blowing hot wind hard against their backs. The mass of soldiers halted and began to step back. Two on-board chainguns opened fire on the mass, causing pandemonium to break loose. Five soldiers fell at Firecalw's feet alone.

"Allura grab my hand!" Fireclaw shouted.

She gripped it tightly. Fireclaw grabbed the bottom rail of one of the ship's engines and held on.

"Chomper go out into a clear area! We're underneath you!" Fireclaw shouted.

"I'm on it. Be careful, I have to get low, but he drop may hurt a bit." Chomper replied.

From underneath the airship Fireclaw could see the true extent of the damage the town had taken. Buildings burned, cars lay flipped and strewn about and the soldiers on the ground made it harder to move had they had walked.

Occasionally an arrow would plink off the bottom of the ship, but luckily no snipers lay in wait. After a short trip over the chaotic wasteland that once was the Secret Scouts' home Chomper put down on the highway leading west of town. Fireclaw and Allura climbed aboard and headed back for Lavadome to attempt to track the Secret Scouts.

* * *

Redclaw and Pterano sat by a small campfire enjoying the calmness of the night. A slight breeze rolled through the trees making the warmth of the fire all the more enjoyable. They talked about life outside of the Valley before they joined the Tyranno forces. Most of the Great Valley was sleeping under the calm moonlight. A noise behind Redclaw startled them both, but they'd disregarded it. Suddenly Pterano's gaze was fixed on something moving quickly through the trees. Pterano stood up cautiously and put his hand on a handgun at his side. Redclaw couldn't see what he was looking at, but he could definitely hear something.

"What are you looking at?" Redclaw asked nervously.

"Something's out there. It's moving too quickly to see." Pterano replied in a hushed tone.

"It could be anything. Maybe one of the young ones is up for some reason." Redclaw replied.

"No, not them. They could never move that fast." Pterano assured him.

The two quickly put the fire out and began to move out. Redclaw drew his gun as well and covered most of the dark treeline. The sound of footsteps grew closer and faster. Redclaw could swear he heard marching along with the closer footsteps he was hearing before. Something whizzed by Redclaw's head.

"THUD!"

An arrow buried itself deep within a tree next to where Redclaw was standing. Pterano took cover behind a rock close by. An arrow broke off of the other side of his cover. Redclaw couldn't see where the arrows were coming from. A shadow quickly ran out into the open. Pterano opened fire and managed to hit the figure. The shadowy figure stumbled and fell. Redclaw charged out and tackled the wounded figure as it tried to get back up once more.

A fastbiter with a bullet wound to his shoulder lay at Redclaw's feet. He carried a wooden bow over his shoulder and a small quiver of arrows. The two glared angrily at each other for a moment.

"You'll never save them!" The fast biter spat in sharptooth.

"Save who? Who are you?" Redclaw growled back in sharptooth as well.

Before he got his answer the fastbiter smiled, raised his claw and quickly dragged it across his throat. he quickly bled to death.

"Redclaw did you figure out who it was?" Pterano asked.

"No. he offed himself before I could ask." redclaw replied.

Pterano examined his bow. He noticed a small runic symbol that resembled a lightning bold on the arms. the arrows bore the same symbol on their shafts.

"Hm. What could this mean?" Pterano asked.

"That's odd. Is it a letter of sorts?" redclaw replied.

"Could possibly be. It's on the arrows too." Pterano replied.

Redclaw examined the arrow closely. The shaft was made of a unique type of wood. It felt almost furry.

"Who are these dinosaurs? Why would only one attack us? Seems so- impractical." Pterano asked.

"Not sure. Hopefully this one was the only one." Redclaw replied.

Just as Redclaw knelt down to check the fastbiter's armor another arrow hit the ground in front of him. The loud thud it made as it embedded itself into the earth made him jump and fall over. Pterano quickly helped him up and ran for cover with Redclaw in tow. The two backed against a tree waiting for a second arrow to make contact. Their hearts were beating in their ears by now. Redclaw shook uncontrollably at the thought of nearly dying by an arrow he never saw coming. They waited and watched for another arrow, but one never came. The tension felt as if it could strangle them as they watched for any movement that would indicate an archer or sniper.

After a long wait, Redclaw signaled that he was going to try to make a move. Pterano nodded in confirmation and prepared to follow Redclaw out of the trees. On the count of three both of them sprinted towards the nesting grounds, which were clear across the Valley. Pterano took flight and picked up Redclaw and carried him high into the air. He held on to Pterano as best he could. Looming in the distance Redclaw could see what appeared to be a marching line forming not too far off. They all wore red uniforms that were nearly perfect in appearance all illuminated by spotlights some soldiers carried to light the path. They were marching along with someone in a long black trench coat with a red collar that ran down the length of the open front. Underneath the coat was steel plated armor as black as the coat was.

"Who the hell is that?" Redclaw asked.

"I've never seen him before. I"ll put us down so we can try to get a closer look." Pterano replied.

Pterano landed in a tree near where the militia was marching. Redclaw scurried to a higher branch as Pterano perched himself to watch.

As the militia approached, grandpa Longneck stepped forward to greet them. He must have felt something was wrong, Littlefoot ran away secretly after Grandpa Longneck told him something. The march stopped close to the Threehorn's nest and their leader approached Grandpa Longneck. He could hear the conversation clearly.

"Are you the leader of this Valley?" The deep voiced leader asked.

"Why yes, you could say that. How can I help you?" Grandpa Longneck replied.

The leader signaled two other officers to his side. One being a Plesiosaur and the other a Brachiosaurus.

"Brachio... Plesio..." redclaw heard Pterano say to himself just above his shoulder.

"You know them?" Redclaw asked.

"Yes, I do. I'm surprised you don't remember them, even though you were a Tyranno briefly. Redclaw, you must go find Littlefoot! Something's going to happen, and I want him and any of the other little ones far away from here in case it does!" Pterano ordered in a hushed tone.

"Got it!"

Redclaw could tell that Pterano was bothered by what he saw. He slid quietly down the tree and ran towards Littlefoot's nest. He'd hoped that's where he had run to.

Redclaw searched frantically for any sign of Littlefoot, but his search tunred up nothing. His next logical place to look was Cera's nest, but it would be suicide to run there now. He checked everywhere, then something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. It was Cera sprinting madly for Redclaw. She was in hysterics. Redclaw managed to calm her enough to get her to try to explain what was going on.

"I can't find Littlefoot! They're coming to take over the Great valley, I just know it!" Cera nearly screamed.

Redclaw had to keep her quiet to keep their cover. They ran towards Petrie's cave to see if he was still there. Cera was terrified to the point that any little movement would make her jump and nearly trip as they ran. She had no idea what was happening or who the army of dinosaurs was that had entered the Great Valley. Redclaw only hoped Grandpa Longneck was handling the situation well.

Littlefoot's voice broke through the trees. Relief flooded over Cera and Redclaw to know that he was alright. He was calling for Petrie, but by the sound of his voice he wasn't getting a response. Redclaw and Cera emerged from the trees to find Littlefoot frantically trying to climb the rocky wall below Petrie's cave. His attempts were in vain as he would slide right back down. his feet were scraped and bleeding from trying so hard to climb the side of the mountain.

Pterano quickly swooped down and stopped Littlefoot. After a brief exchange of words Pterano hugged Littlefoot consolingly. Redclaw and Cera approached slowly and anxiously. Pterano looked at Redclaw with much hurt in his eyes. Tears began to form as he tried to tell them what happened.

"Save it Pterano, now isn't the time." Redclaw said sympathetically.

"No, Redclaw, you want to know. It was exactly who we thought it was. Did you hear anything at all by chance?"

"Not really. We were paying more attention to the woods around us in case of an ambush or something."

"They-" Pterano stopped for a second to collect himself.

"They'd managed to take down Grandpa Longneck. I didn't exactly see how, but I heard some yelling, and..."

A dark feeling brewing within Redclaw began to emerge. His thoughts of sympathy soon turned cold and dark as he'd imagined ways that he could assassinate Rex and get away within a short time.

"Where were the other adults? I noticed they weren't around, not even Grandma!"

"They're in another part of the Great Valley right now. I'm not sure what they're going to do, but I managed to see them as I flew here." Pterano replied sullenly.

"So what are our options? What can we do now? Obviously Fireclaw will want a part of this and- I don't even want to imagine what he's going to do when he finds out about this." Redclaw said.

"We'll leave that to him then. We need to leave now. If we are caught, we'll probably end up dead."

Cera's eyes widened. She began to shake with fear, her knees grew weak. She sat on the ground and began to sob. Redclaw knelt down with her while looking at Pterano.

"Redclaw, we must face it. This is more serious than we thought. If this goes as I'm thinking it will, we'll be at war with the Tyrannos again. The Tyrannos and a more powerful enemy."

Redclaw slowly rose to his feet.

"A more powerful enemy? What do you mean a more powerful enemy?"

"The Hallowed Prince. That kind of enemy."

"We'll figure this out later. We need to get back to Lavadome, and shit we have no transportation to do so either."

Littlefoot pulled away from Pterano. He turned towards Redclaw with an idea.

"What if we got Petrie's mom to help fly us there?" He said.

"That could work, but she'd only be able to carry one of us." Pterano replied.

"Then she'll take Littlefoot if she agrees. Pterano can take Cera, and I'll get a start on the ground until someone can come back for me." Redclaw added.

Pterano, Littlefoot and Cera gave him a look as if he was insane.

"What? Would you like to carry two dinosaurs, Pterano? Besides I'd rather know these two got to Lavadome safely." Redclaw replied defensively.

"Then I guess that will have to do. Let me speak with Mrs. Flyer, and hopefully we'll get some extra help."

With that Pterano left the group and flew across the Great Valley towards a small field in the eastern part. It's an area that's less known about simply because of how close it is to the Mysterious Beyond, sometimes it's not classified as part of the Great Valley at all. Minute after minute passed, tensions grew, and patience wore thin. Finally, after what seemed like forever Pterano returned, Mrs. Flyer in tow.

"Let's not waste any time. The Great Valley isn't safe with those Sharpteeth here anymore, and we don't want to be seen leaving." Mrs. Flyer said.

"Right, Littlefoot, you go with Pterano. Cera, you go with Petrie's mom. I know a way over the mountain that will be pretty hard to find if you don't know where to look. Pterano, if you need to I'll turn on my GPS so you can locate me if need be. Fly safe, and I'll see you at Lavadome." Redclaw said as he turned towards the woods.

"Redclaw..." Littlefoot called out.

He stopped and turned momentarily.

"Be careful." Littlefoot finished.

"I will, believe me. Now hurry, the Tyrannos could be mobilizing any minute."

Pterano and Mrs. Flyer took to the skies as Redclaw took off into the woods. For the rest of the Great Valley, this was going to be a long night.


	6. An Unlikely Request

Chapter 6: An Unlikely Request

* * *

Littlefoot stood at the window of a guest bedroom down the hall from Lavadome's control room. Emotions ranging from fear of what Pterano had said to rage and anger over his powerlessness in any matter. He rested his front legs on the window sill and rested his knees on the bed. He enjoyed his new surroundings. The soft blankets and pillows were a huge change from his old nest made of sticks and leaves. At first he felt very enclosed because of his first tie being in any real building, but soon grew accustomed to the feeling.

Littlefoot felt a sense of guilt for running away when the army showed up, but would he ever defy his grandfather in a situation like that? What if he could have done something about it? What if he wasn't so help less? What if...

The question lingered on his mind, plaguing his thoughts with scenarios of how things could have been different. What if he stayed and risked his life? His thoughts shifted to Genghis Rex. He was a sharptooth, but he looked like Redclaw did. He walked like him, spoke in the same way and even had a similar physical build. Was that why they were superior? He looked at his front legs and imagined them as arms. He could walk just like the others! Maybe he could do something! But how? How did Chomper receive the miracle treatment? Was it magic? Littlefoot understood so little of what he wanted, but he felt willing to risk it all anyway.

A knock on the door brought him back to reality. He quickly turned to see Fireclaw standing there holding a cup of tea.

"Come in." Littlefoot said.

Fireclaw sat on a chair across the room and set his tea on the table. After a moment to carefully think of what to say as to not make anything awkward, he spoke.

"So... Pterano told me about what happened." Fireclaw said.

Littlefoot turned around and faced Fireclaw.

"Yeah, I guess they got him. My grandpa, I mean." Littlefoot replied, sounding as though he'd come to terms with it.

"I know. Look, I'm sorry that this is happening, and-"

"Fireclaw, can I ask you something?" littlefoot cut in.

"Why sure. Go ahead." Fireclaw replied.

"What's it like being able to walk on two legs?" Littlefoot asked.

Fireclaw raised his eyebrow at this question.

"Why do you ask? You... Are you insinuating something?" Fireclaw replied confusedly.

"No, not really." Littlefoot replied nonchalantly.

"Cut the shit. What are you thinking?" Fireclaw nearly demanded.

"It seems like you are more respected because you can!" Littlefoot stated.

"You have to be kidding me, Littlefoot you do realize I'ma highly developed version of the earth species by many, many years! It's genetics, Littlefoot, nothing you can do to change that." Fireclaw replied.

Littlefoot saw right through that lie.

"Then why does Chomper and Redclaw walk with their back straight and have longer arms like you!" Littlefoot asked.

Fireclaw was unsure how to react. He knew Littlefoot caught on by mentioning that.

"Littlefoot what are you getting at?" Fireclaw asked sternly.

He already had an idea of what Littlefoot was asking.

"i'm asking for you to make me like them!" Littlefoot shouted.

Chomper walked by awkwardly. He had to have heard that.

"Littlefoot holy shit, I don't think you actually know the question you're asking. Gene modification isn't a very easy process. Honestly it could kill you if it goes bad." Fireclaw explained.

"I don't care! I'm tired of being so helpless all the time! I want to be able to fend for myself in a better way!" Littlefoot replied angrily.

He had a point. Fireclaw thought for a second, then looked Littlefoot in the eye.

"Alright, tell you what. If you're so bent on being better, I won't deny you your wish, but I hope you understand that you cant' revert the effect either." Fireclaw said.

"I get that, and I don't really care. I want to be considered equal! No more being helpless to the grown-ups!" Littlefoot declared.

"Littlefoot, they do it for a reason. Not because they consider you helpless, but I can understand the revenge aspect. Like I said, if you truly want it I won't stop you, there's a genetics lab just across the hangar that we had installed not too long ago. We did it with Chomper there, and I know how to do the process, but like I said, it won't be easy, at least not for you. I honestly don't feel you're prepared for that kind of change, or what it can bring. You've never walked upright before, so how do you know you'll be able to cope with the feeling?" Fireclaw explained.

Littlefoot hadn't thought about that. What if he couldn't cope with it?

"Stand up." Fireclaw said.

Littlefoot got off the bed and to his feet in front of Fireclaw.

"Okay, now stand up." Fireclaw commanded again.

Littlefoot hopped off of his two front feet only to land back on them in vain. After a few attempts more, he hung his head in shame.

"now do you see what I mean?" Fireclaw asked.

Littlefoot remained silent.

"Look, the choice is yours. I'm just telling you that you don't know what you're getting into by doing this. Think about it, and if it's where your heart is, come find me. We'll go through it whenever your ready, and I don't give two shits what time it is when you tell me."

littlefoot returned to his place at the window as Fireclaw left the room, closing the door behind him. Littlefoot thought about the possible consequences that could come if the transformation went awry.

Chomper stood behind the corner as Fireclaw left the room. Fireclaw didn't notice him standing there.

"You can't be serious about the gene modding thing, right?" Chomper asked.

"Why not? It's his choice, not mine." Fireclaw replied casually.

"Have you ever done that type of mod to a four legged dinosaur before? You just seem too okay about this." Chomper replied.

Sounding rather confident Fireclaw said back "Nope, but I'll be honest I have faith it will work. I warned him about what could happen, and if he truly wants it, I wont' stop him. Between you and me, he'll receive Bronto-thunder's genetic framework that we have stored on a disc in the genetics lab."

Chomper gave Fireclaw a surprised look.

"You're actually going to do it? And with Bronto-thunder's DNA? That seems almost- well lethal!" Chomper replied.

"Could be. Who's to say?" Was Fireclaw's only response.

Fireclaw turned and left down the hallway leaving Chomper shocked and stunned by what he said.

Chomper wanted so desperately to convince Littlefoot not to go through with the genetics mutation, but in his emotional state now his pleas would fall on deaf ears. He stood outside the bedroom door wanting to enter, but just moved on. Fireclaw was right, it was Littlefoot's choice, and he would have to pay for it if it was a bad one. Chomper walked down the hall and joined the others in the control room.

Around two' thirty in the morning, when everyone was asleep, Littlefoot stayed awake still weighing the options of having his genetic code rewritten. He wasn't sure if he wanted to, but he knew if he were to save his grandfather, he'd need to be stronger. His choice was made.

Littlefoot carefully opened the door to the room he and Cera were in. After sneaking down the hallway to Fireclaw's room, he quietly slipped in. Fireclaw slept silently while Littlefoot mustered up the courage to tell him. he approached Fireclaw's bed as quietly as he could.

"When you sneak past a door, always pull up on it. I heard it loud and clear." Fireclaw said.

"I've made my choice, Fire." Littlefoot replied.

Fireclaw sat up and waited for the decision.

"I'll do it. I'm ready for the process." Littlefoot said confidently.

Fireclaw climbed out of bed and to his feet. He put on a t-shirt and pajama pants and retrieved a blank disc and what looked to be a power core of some sort. The cylindrical objected looked like a lantern with laser diodes on top.

"We start in an hour. Get yourself ready."


	7. Risking All or Nothing

After a very long dry spell of not updating, I think I'll continue writing where I left off. This time, I'll stray away from my notebook's version of the story though since this chapter isn't very interesting on paper. Side note: If by chance you read this Hound Prowler and haven't seen my profile update, messaging is screwed up on the site, not sure why...

* * *

Chapter 7: Risking All or Nothing

As the three entered the lab, Fireclaw made a point to tell Cera and Littlefoot not to mess with anything they see. Most of the equipment was very sensitive, and it wasn't just medical labs they would be passing by.

The experimentation wing was set at the end of the hallway of Lavadome's top level. Just three doors down from the control room on the left side of the hallway was a heavy steel door. Fireclaw punched in a code on the panel next to it and looked into a small laser diode to confirm a retina scan to unlock the door. Everything beyond the door was extremely sensitive, dangerous and even for Reptillon's standards extremely expensive. It was hard enough to convince Allo expand the small research station as it was.

The hall was white with two doors on each side. The first two they passed read "Weapons Engineering" and "Chemical Experimentation." Fireclaw stopped at the end of the hallway and motioned for the two to join him.

"Alright, listen, I know I've said it before but I'm going to say it again, absolutely no touching anything in here. It's bad enough we have to calibrate the equipment by hand, I'd hate to have it broken or screwed up to where I have to repeat the process or replace the equipment altogether." Fireclaw said sternly.

Cera raised her eyebrow at Fireclaw and asked, "What is 'calibrating'?"

"Calibration means to set something up either vaguely or very specifically. In this case, one little error could probably fry you in more ways that you can even count." Fireclaw replied.

Littlefoot began to show signs of being nervous, but he wasn't having any second thoughts. Fireclaw used two keys to open the door to the first lab simply labelled on the door as "Profiling." Inside was various types of equipment ranging from microscopes to equipment that looked like it belonged inside a butcher shop. Fireclaw reassured them that so long as they don't try and play with anything they would be perfectly safe. In the center of the room was a large cylinder that ran from the floor to the ceiling. It glowed faintly from the liquid bubbling inside of it. Cera broke her gaze when Fireclaw kept getting her attention to move her along.

They'd finally rounded a corner in the back of the room where a table sat in the center of the room surrounded by handrails. There was a console in front to operate the table and another machine beneath it hidden by the floor.

"Alright Littlefoot, here's what's going to happen. I'm impressed that you haven't backed out of this, because now you're going to see how we made Chomper the way he is. It's not painful at all, in fact you probably won't even know it's going on once we begin the fun part of the whole procedure." Fireclaw explained in a very nonchalant way. Littlefoot began to relax slightly upon hearing that he won't know it's happening.

"So how long will this take?" Cera asked.

"This part shouldn't take long. All we're doing is matching his genetic profile to the one on the disc I have here. Once we do that, we have to actually apply it. That's going to take a while." Fireclaw replied.

The table was set up with wrist and ankle restraints that would move to just about any position. Fireclaw helped Littlefoot onto the table and lay him in a human's standing position. He then locked the restraints in place. He also attached a headpiece to hold his head still while the scan was in progress.

Fireclaw walked over to the small console in front of the table and powered the machine on. Two large discs rotated around the table and were now above Littlefoot's stretched body. One disc rotated clockwise 180 degrees, then rotated back into position with a centerpiece connecting the two rings together. Cera was in awestruck by the machine's movements.

"Alright Littlefoot, just relax. This is actually the easy part. Just be chill for a while and I'll talk you through the whole process while this goes on." Fireclaw told Littlefoot calmly. He was trying to create a soothing tone in his voice to make Littlefoot feel a little less nervous, and it was working.

Fireclaw turned on a computer console behind him. The console began to display data of a pre-scan it was doing just before it would command the table's gyroscopic scanner to begin the fully body gene-scan. After a few seconds, a green button flashed on the screen labelled "Begin Scan," as well as a small green light on the console. Fireclaw initiated the scan on the console and the machine whirred to life. The two giant rings rotated at a constant speed while it scanned. A red laser field projected from the inside of the connector and rotated with the rings.

The whole time the scan was running Fireclaw sat beside the guardrail and Cera and explained to Littlefoot what they were going to do once the disc was encoded with his genetic profile. Littlefoot wasn't quite understanding some of the points Fireclaw made, but just hearing him explain it as best he could provided some comfort during the process. One thing Fireclaw dared not mention was how exactly it would change his physical form. He knew what it would do, but he didn't want Littlefoot or Cera to know for the sake of scaring them. After about fifteen minutes, the scan was complete. The console ejected a second disc containing Littlefoot's genetic data. It was now time to move on to the final step in the process.

After Fireclaw helped Littlefoot off the table, he asked him one final time if it was what he truly wanted. He said nothing further than the question to deter himself from influencing Littlefoot's decision. Without hesitation Littlefoot replied that it was what he wanted. Fireclaw noticed a wickedness in his reply.

Fireclaw led the two across the hallway to the next room labelled "Experimental Modification." Teryx would spend a lot of time in this lab trying to perfect strange experiments that could transmute elements or reverse the effects of a fossilizer without having the original weapon (it was surprisingly difficult for her to get a prototype of the device used to do it.) One piece of equipment that was saved for a truly miraculous experiment was the Organic Structure Modification Chamber, or O.S.M.C for short. Teryx had it installed a couple years before Chomper's gene-mod and hadn't used it at all, but knew how to use it from training she'd received on Reptillon prior to having the equipment sent out. After extensively training Fireclaw to use it at his request, Fireclaw was then able to operate the machine to only the extent of using a disc to guide the process along so he didn't have to.

The chamber consisted of a vertically standing backboard with restraints similar to the ones on the scanning table. There were various tubes and hoses inside the chamber for oxygen supply and anesthetics to keep the specimen unconscious during the procedure.

"Alright Littlefoot, you may feel a little sting for a second. This is completely normal." Fireclaw assured him as he injected a sedative into his front leg.

"What was that for?" Littlefoot asked.

"Well, you'll see." was all Fireclaw replied with.

After a short wait, Littlefoot began to feel very drowsy and required support to stay standing. Fireclaw seized the opportunity to get him into the chamber before he'd completely clocked out on him. Once Fireclaw got the restraints in place and was sure Littlefoot wasn't going to move, he'd waited for him to fall completely asleep before running the oxygen tube down his throat so he'd not suffocate during the procedure.

Once all was in place, Fireclaw closed a glass door on the chamber and powered on a monitor. The monitor displayed Littlefoot's vitals, as well as the status of his procedure. A large white door slid around the front of the glass tube and sealed itself with an airlock. After Fireclaw heard the door lock shut, he entered the authorization code to begin the procedure. Once he'd clicked "Start Chamber," he knew there was no going back. They could only wait and hope all goes well.


	8. The Millennium Swords

Chapter 8: The Millennium Swords

"Aeris! There you are! Listen, I need to see you now! Something's happening!" Falchion called out to his sister who was walking down a hallway in the palace.

"Falchion what in the world? What do you mean something's happening?" Aeris called back somewhat annoyed by his sudden appearance.

The floor began to slightly vibrate beneath them. Aeris turned completely serious.

"What was that? Falchion what's going on?" Aeris asked.

"It's Catona. He's managed to find a way to link our world and Earth together!" Falchion nearly yelled back.

"How is that even possible? Where did his power come from to be able to do such a thing?" Aeris replied.

"I'm not sure. Aeris we may have another situation on our hands. He's gaining more power quicker than I'd imagined. Most of the Indric princes never get this powerful this fast. He must have an external source of this power, but where could it be coming from?" Falchion pondered.

The ground began to shake more violently. Small tables in the hallway began to tip over and spill their contents onto the marble floor. Lanterns hanging overhead began to sway back and forth. Falchion and Aeris looked at each other with worried expressions before dashing quickly down the stairs to the main foyer of the palace. Everyone was gathered outside the doors of the palace watching as the sky formed an eye similar to the one that opened itself when Valmonway's essense battled Fireclaw. The clouds swirled around each other with a beam of light penetrating from the center and shining downward. The water fountain in front of the palace was now a giant hole with swirling dark clouds opening a portal to the Earth beneath them. Through the center of the hole in the dark cloudy circle was the Great Valley.

"We- we know what we need to do Aeris. This cannot wait any longer." Falchion slowly muttered.

Aeris returned a nod of agreement as the two set off for the Skyhallowed keep, the most sacred armory in the Palace and possibly all of Indra. They knew they'd need more power if they planned to stand against whatever opened the portal in the palace square. The heavy golden doors that stood between the Skyhallowed Keep and Falchion and Aeris only open when the contents of the keep are truly in need. The chamber itself hasn't seen the light of day for nearly a thousand years. Getting the doors open would be nearly a task in itself since no one really knows how to do it.

Falchion and Aeris both looked at each other with slight concern that the keep wouldn't open and placed their hands upon the door's smooth surface. To their surprise the doors began to move. They exerted all of their might into the doors as they swung open. Inside was a long carpet leading to a central platform surrounded by crystal clear water. Two statues of the Legendary Warriors of Light Avalon, a very stocky Tyrannosaurus with an aggressive look in his eye, and Vulkanis, an Apatosaurus wielding the legendary World Breaker sword stood guard around the two pedestals adorning the Gemini Blades. The blades themselves are the embodiment of the power of two beings becoming one. Falchion and Aeris cautiously approached the pedestals holding the weapons. They weren't sure what would happen once they laid their hands on the handles of the swords. They haven't been used in nearly a millennium.

Falchion grabbed his blade first. The sword glowed with a white aura as he removed it from it's pedestal. His eyes instantly turned white. He looked at Aeris and nodded, signaling for her to lift hers as well. With a swift pull upwards Aeris' sword dislodged from the pedestal and glowed the same white aura Falchion's blade had when he'd removed his. Her eyes instantly turned white as well. The two began to feel a warm sensation as they became enveloped in a white light emanating from the giant skylight above them. With perfect coordination the two crossed their swords so that the two beams of light they held fused together. The crossed swords shot a beam of light back into the sky above them as if returning a message from the sky itself. Statues around the keep began to fill with light. Their intricate carvings soon glowed white and the eyes resonating energy. The two legendary statues began to glow as well. Falchion and Aeris walked towards the open chamber doors. They sheathed the swords and joined hands as the light began to harden itself around them, forming an armor out of pure light. As they passed through the doorway the doors began to close behind them. The two now wore the fabled Skyhallowed armor, the same type of armor that Avalon and Vulkanis once wore in their final battles.

As guardians of the Stones of Coldfire they were placed higher than anyone in terms of power. They had to have select abilities in order to guard the immense power the stones contain. One of these abilities being the ability to use sacred weapons and armor found within the Hallowed lands of Indra.

"Let's go solve this little squabble." Falchion said in an amused tone.

"Yes, let's."

The Great Valley's once peaceful and welcoming nature was soon turned into a hostile and oppressive prison. The remaining residents of the Valley who hadn't escaped with Fireclaw and the young ones were forced into slavery by Ghenghis Rex and his Tyranno Armada he brought with him. The Dinosaurs were under constant surveillance while being forced into hard labor for even the most petty of tasks. No one would dare voice opposition for fear of death or worse. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck had soon become Ghenghis Rex's personal servants. Anything Rex would require he would demand of them. Ghenghis Rex sat in his command tent which now sits where the Longneck's nest use to be. He decided to place it there so that, as he put it "They could feel at home," while being forced into slavery by the tyrannical tyrant himself. Two guards sat positioned outside of his tent constantly carrying portable miniguns as means of protection. More guards would regularly patrol the former nesting grounds while slaves would move through to complete their assigned tasks.

"Brachio, report to me at once!" Rex boomed into his communicator.

"Sure thing boss!" Brachio replied.

Rex spun his chair around and was facing the back wall of his tent where he kept his tactical maps. He wore a full suit of bullet-proof armor at all times for fear of someone (specifically Fireclaw) trying to snipe him. His black overcoat hung on the coat rack next to him. Brachio stepped through the opening in the front of the tent drenched in sweat from the heat outside. The afternoon sun was brutal on everyone that day. Brachio proceeded forward semi-cautiously. Usually when Rex was turned backwards upon entry something serious was about to be said.

"Are you alone?" Rex asked.

"Yes sir." Brachio replied.

"Good. I've got a task for you. I'm sure you'll be able to do just fine trying to pull this one off." Rex stated.

Brachio furrowed his brow.

"What did you have in mind?" Brachio asked.

"As you well know some of the children of our slaves, specifically the large ones outside right now escaped when we first arrived. I want you to find them and bring them back to me." Rex said.

Brachio knew very well why they were able to escape. He didn't want to have to face Fireclaw again after what he'd done to him before in Tarpit. Feeling somewhat hesitant about the task he'd accepted to take it up. He knew that there wasn't anything he'd be able to do to get them back if they really were with Fireclaw.

"You're to bring along five others to help you with the job. This shouldn't require as much effort as some other things I have in mind for later. Any questions?" Rex stated.

Brachio noticed Rex pull a small box out from under his chair and put it in his lap.

"No questions sir." Brachio replied.

"Good. Then you'll need this as well."

Rex put the box on his desk and opened it. Inside was a control collar gun with five collars. Brachio made the executive decision in his mind to be the only one to use the gun once he'd found them. Brachio closed the box and tucked it underneath his arm. Rex could notice his hand shaking as he took it.

"Is something wrong, Brachio?" Rex asked somewhat tauntingly.

"Nothing sir." Brachio replied.

"I beg to differ. Do you really think you can lie to me?" Rex asked.

Rex stared right through Brachio from across the tent. Brachio was unsure what to say. He didn't want to express his true feelings because then Rex would consider him a coward. Cowardice wasn't something Rex took lightly to. He stared at Rex blankly.

"Get on with the task. I'm not going to push this any further." Rex growled.

Brachio quickly turned and exited the tent fearfully.


	9. The Awakening

Chapter 9: The Awakening

"Littlefoot." A voice called out.

"Wake up little one." The voice echoed softly.

Littlefoot slowly opened his eyes. He could hear a familiar voice in the distance. He looked down to see his new form lying on the cracked dirt. He tried to stand but felt somewhat unbalanced.

"Easy now Littlefoot. You'll feel better soon." The voice said softly.

Littlefoot's eyes widened when he'd realized who's voice it was.

"Mother?" Littlefoot shouted.

"Up here, Littlefoot." The voice called from over a hill.

Littlefoot recognized the hill. It was the same one his mother had been killed on by the sharptooth many years before. Littlefoot rose to his feet and began to slowly walk. Once he'd gotten the feeling of it he began to jog towards the hill. After a short while his jog turned quickly into a run as he sprinted for the top of the hill where his mother's voice was calling from. Once he'd reached the top he could see something sticking out of the top of a sharptooth's skull. Littlefoot cautiously approached the object. As he grew closer he could tell that it was a sword.

"This isn't right. What's going on here?" Littlefoot asked himself.

"You must learn to lead now, Littlefoot. Your loved ones need you." His mother's voice called.

Her voice was calm and comforting to him.

"I haven't even started to walk on two legs yet? How am I going to learn to fight, let alone lead if I'm practically useless at this point?" Littlefoot asked in frustration.

"You are what's blocking you little one. Take hold of your weapon." His mother's voice instructed.

Littlefoot placed a firm hold on the handle of the sword.

"Raise it high above your head and soon all will be known."

Littlefoot pulled hard at first, but the sword wouldn't budge. He put one foot next to the blade and pulled hard. It finally dislodged itself causing Littlefoot to hold the blade skyward unintentionally. He held it high as the blade began to glow white. Engravings of vines and berries in the blade's metal began to fill with light like water running through rivers. Littlefoot's hands began to feel warm from the sword he was holding. His vision went completely white.

When it refocused he was looking over the Great Valley in the same place that he'd come in when he met his friends. A shadow soon began to make it's way towards him covering the entire valley slowly as it progressed. The once luscious and green land now turned to dust and dirt. Trees began to die and wither before him. Littlefoot stared in horror at what the Great Valley was becoming. Still holding the sword he wanted to attack the shadow and make it stop.

"Your home is in danger, Littlefoot. Your loved ones all face great peril." Littlefoot's mother whispered in his ear.

"What's happening? What happened to the trees? The grass?" Littlefoot asked.

"You must seek the answer yourself Littlefoot." His mother replied.

"How? What do I do?"

Littlefoot noticed a familiar Longneck shaped cloud in the sky. A beam of light pierced through the cloud causing it to dissipate. The light focused on a small path of grass to Littlefoot's left. Littlefoot turned and faced it as his mother began to materialize in front of him.

"I will guide you as I always have. I am closer to you than you think, Littlefoot. Even though you may not see me, I'm always there." His mother told him.

A tear rolled down Littlefoot's cheek. He looked at the sword in his hand which was still glowing with a white aura. "You will find that sword Littlefoot. Only then will you truly understand what you need to do. Come now, it's time to wake up." Littlefoot's mother said softly.

The sword vanished from Littlefoot's grasp as he approached the glowing figure of his mother standing in front of him. She craned her neck downward meet Littlefoot's eyes. Images of the Skyhallowed Keep began to flash in his mind. He could see the Longneck's statue still glowing with the light that shined when Falchion and Aeris claimed their weapons.

"You know what you need to do, Littlefoot. You always have. You'll find a way." His mother said softly to him.

Littlefoot hugged his mother's neck tightly. He could feel the warm aura around her against his skin. The last thing Littlefoot said before his vision faded out was "I love you..."


	10. The Mission

Chapter 10: The Mission

"So Brachio, what makes you think the little shits are even at Lavadome in the first place?" One of the mercenaries asked.

"I have reason to believe that they're there because of someone else." Brachio replied.

"What, that Fireclaw guy or whatever? He doesn't sound like much of a problem heh." One of the other mercenaries said before spitting on the ground.

Brachio didn't have much choice when he'd chosen his group. Five raptors of various species tagged closely along loosely following orders that Brachio gave out. Brachio was growing tired of having them around, not to mention the heat constantly nagging at him under his tactical vest. They constantly joked about things that didn't interest Brachio much. Sometimes they'd threaten to fight each other just for laughs. None of this was helping Brachio much, but he knew that they wouldn't survive long once they'd reached Lavadome. He knew that their arrogance would be their downfall at some point. Brachio and his team proceeded towards the landing zone where they would retrieve their aircraft.

* * *

Littlefoot jerked awake in a cold sweat. He looked around the spare bedroom where he was staying in. His mother's voice still echoed in his mind from his dream. Somehow the dream felt more real than it seemed. He was able to stand up and maintain his balance. He'd even practiced jogging in place for a second to see if what he'd just previously experienced was true. He found that he could jog without any problems at all.

He made his way to the bathroom at the end of the hall and looked in the mirror. Staring back at him was a Littlefoot he'd soon have to get to know. This was now the body of a warrior and he knew it. He knew that his decision was the right one after seeing what his mother had shown him in his dream the previous night.

"Oh shit, where'd he go?" He heard Chomper say out loud.

Littlefoot walked into the hallway and closed the door behind him. As Chomper walked back out of the guest room he jumped in shock. He couldn't believe that Littlefoot was already walking upright without much practice at all. Littlefoot knew that he'd never understand where he'd learned to do it though.

"Littlefoot, how do you feel? Any different?" Chomper asked.

"I feel taller. Feels different being able to walk on two legs." Littlefoot said.

He opened and closed his massive hand to confirm the reality of the situation.

"Wow Fireclaw will be excited to hear this! Hang on let me go find him!" Chomper said excitedly.

Chomper ran down the hallway cursing every few words trying to find him. Littlefoot started to laugh when he'd heard the phrase "Fireclaw get your stupid ass out here, Littlefoot's awake!" From down the hallway he could hear Fireclaw expressing equal amounts of shock and surprise from the control room as the two ran out. Littlefoot started walking towards them, causing Fireclaw to freeze in his tracks.

"How the... You can walk!" Fireclaw shouted.

"Nice observation." Littlefoot replied back.

After a long pause Chomper suggested that they go and show the others in the Control room. Littlefoot nodded in agreement and followed them in. Ducky and Petrie were bouncing on the couch when Littlefoot walked in behind Chomper and Fireclaw. They instantly stopped what they were doing and stared with their mouths agape. Cera's eyes widened until they felt they were going to fall out. Spike didn't know how to react and just stared in awe.

"Suppose you should probably get something else other than Bronto-thunder's spare pajamas on, right?" Chomper told Littlefoot jokingly. He'd looked down and noticed that he was in fact wearing clothes for the first time.

"You'd been out for a few days, Littlefoot. Gave me just enough time to return to Reptillon against my better judgment and get you these." Fireclaw said as he fetched Littlefoot's custom-made Dinosquad 6 armor suit.

"It's going to be a bit of a bitch to get on at first, but you'll get the hang of it eventually." Fireclaw said as he held up what the suit looks like.

The armor suit fit perfectly to Littlefoot's body. It was almost miraculous that Fireclaw had managed to guess Littlefoot's proportions correctly when the suit was being made. He also had a helmet that went with it, but Fireclaw hadn't showed it to him yet. The suit was gray with bright orange armor plates placed over vital areas of his body. The Dinosaucers' insignia was positioned just above the right breastplate. Fireclaw didn't have time to get it changed, so he just went with it anyway.

As Fireclaw helped Littlefoot get his armor on and showed him how to put it on himself Ducky, Petrie, Cera and Spike were trying to mob Littlefoot. They were constantly asking questions about his form. Littlefoot tried his best to answer but they were relentless on finding out about it. He could understand why they were in shambles over his appearance though. It's not everyday that a Longneck turns into a humanoid anthromorph anyhow.

Littlefoot suddenly began to stare off into space. His attention began to shift from the current situation to something his mind was trying to tell him.

"Littlefoot? You alright?" He heard Fireclaw say.

He could hear a familiar echoing in his head again. Images of Fireclaw firing his USP flashed in Littlefoot's mind. He could hear his mother's voice echoing "know what you must do" as the images flashed. Littlefoot looked around the room and saw Fireclaw's gun sitting on the table in the middle of the room. As he started to walk towards it he could hear Fireclaw shouting "what are you doing?" over his shoulder. Littlefoot turned to Fireclaw and said, "Fireclaw draw your sword!"

Littlefoot grabbed the gun off the table and turned towards the door of the control room. He heard Chomper make a remark about someone being outside the door. Fireclaw told him not to open it and to get back. Chomper retrieved something from beneath a table. The others quickly ran behind Fireclaw. Images flashed in Littlefoot's mind of how to reload the pistol. Fireclaw would slide the clip out and slide it back in. Littlefoot repeated this as he saw it until he knew what he was doing. He then looked up once he'd finished reloading it a few times. Littlefoot heard Chomper say something about Redclaw and Quackpot not being there and that it could be an intruder.

Suddenly Littlefoot felt as if he were standing in Fireclaw's body. He walked down towards Fireclaw and stood next to him. Chomper stood against the wall holding a shotgun waiting for someone to open the door. Littlefoot looked towards the skylight and saw a flash of light pass by. He turned his focus back to the door. He could hear Fireclaw's tense breathing as he heard the first door open. He held his sword firmly and rolled to the other side of the door. He tried to tell Littlefoot to take cover but he stood fast. As if looking through Fireclaw's eyes he raised the pistol and aimed it at the door. He subconsciously released the safety on the weapon and put his finger on the trigger. He held his hand firm and still as he aimed down the sights of the handgun. A loud bang echoed through the room.

Littlefoot stood his ground with the gun still aimed in front of him as if the gun was part of his arm. Now lying in the open doorway was one of Brachio's mercenaries with a small round hole perfectly placed between his eyes. He feel the recoil of the pistol jerk his hand upward as he pulled the trigger. Littlefoot didn't feel very aware of what he'd just done and seemed unphased by the body in the hallway. He could hear his mother's voice echoing in his head warning him to stand his ground and that it would be over soon. Suddenly another body appeared quickly around the corner. With the sound of something sliding Fireclaw noticed a small clawlike device flying towards Littlefoot.

Just as he'd went to stop it a streak of light split the device in two, then quickly circled backwards before slamming into the floor. Two armored rainbow faces stood swords at the ready. Four raptors stormed the doorway with guns at the ready. Chomper turned the corner and gunned one down with the shotgun he was holding. Littlefoot placed another shot and hit one in the shoulder. Falchion finished it off with a precisely placed slice to the raptor's neck, instantly severing it's head. Littlefoot dove to the side as another collar flew through the hallway and missed it's mark. Fireclaw grabbed one of the raptors and kneed him hard in the stomach. As it gasped for air Fireclaw brought his elbow down hard on the back of it's neck, breaking it with a loud crack. Fireclaw turned towards Littlefoot whose attention was still fixated on the door. He wouldn't lower the pistol from the doorway.

"There's someone still out there. Chomper cover—" Falchion and Aeris interrupted Fireclaw by walking ahead of him and through the open door.

Their swords were pointed at the floor. They could hear someone cursing that their gun had jammed. Falchion grabbed hold of something and threw it through the door. Brachio soared through the doorway and landed hard on the floor of the control room. As he made an attempt to get up Aeris teleported over to him in a flash of light and held her sword at his throat. He laid his head back down and refused to move.

"Who are you?" Aeris demanded.

"I know who he is. That's Brachio. Long time no see buddy." Fireclaw taunted.

Littlefoot lowered the pistol, then dropped to one knee. Chomper rushed to his side. He carefully took the gun from Littlefoot's hand and helped him to his feet.

"I knew this would happen!" Brachio spat towards the ceiling.

"Yet you still decide to attack anyways. Typical Tyranno mindset I guess." Fireclaw replied.

"I was ordered by Ghenghis Rex to retrieve the kids! I didn't do this willingly! Why would I want to make any advances against you after what happened last time?" Brachio spat back at Fireclaw.

Fireclaw's expression went from cold to interested. He waved to Aeris to let her sword up. Fireclaw grabbed Brachio by the collar and tackled him against the floor again. Brachio coughed in pain from the impact.

"Ordered by Rex? Where is he now?" Fireclaw demanded.

At first Brachio wouldn't say anything. He just stared Fireclaw in the face as if trying to prove that he wouldn't talk. Suddenly Fireclaw's eyes turned black.

"Brachio you really should say something instead of stare. Didn't anyone ever teach you that's rude to stare? I'm sure you'd learned in nursery school that it's rude to stare. Would you like to stare some more?" Fireclaw taunted.

Brachio began to shake. Fireclaw picked him up by his collar and forced him against a nearby wall. Holding him high over his head he barked out obscenities at him and insulted him in every way he could.

"HE'S AT THAT VALLEY THAT YOU RAN FROM!" Brachio screamed at the top of his lungs.

Satisfied with the results, Fireclaw dropped him off the wall. Brachio fell in a heap on the floor and panted heavily out of fear. Fireclaw rolled his eyes to the right and talked to Brachio over his shoulder.

"So Brachio, tell me. What exactly were Rex's orders to you?" He asked with a smile.

"To bring the kids to him personally." Brachio replied.

Suddenly Littlefoot shoved Chomper away and ran over to Fireclaw. He grabbed his sword out of his hand and pushed past him. As Brachio went to sit up Littlefoot shoved the blade in his face.

"Get up!" He shouted.

At first Chomper tried to stop him but Fireclaw held his hand up to stop him.

"Let him, Chomper. I can tell he's seen something." Fireclaw whispered.

"What happened to the Great Valley? What did you do?" Littlefoot shouted.

Brachio trembled as Littlefoot began to press the blade even harder. He cut Brachio's neck slightly.

"What did you do with my grandparents?" Littlefoot asked coldly.

Brachio finally indicated that he would speak.

"I didn't do anything. It was Rex. Rex and that other guy, the prince."

"Catona..." Falchion said under his breath.

"Is Rex the sharptooth that entered the Valley with the army?" Littlefoot demanded.

"Yes, he is!" Brachio shouted back desperately.

Littlefoot lowered the blade and backed away. He never took his eyes off of Brachio. He handed the sword back to Fireclaw and sat on one of the table chairs. Redclaw walked in with a look of confusion on his face. He'd stopped in the doorway momentarily before moving in to see what was going on. He fixed his eyes on Brachio specifically.

"So what's this shitbag doing here?" Redclaw asked.

"Rethinking his mistake." Falchion replied coldly.

Redclaw chuckled at the sound of it. He knew that one thing Brachio feared was death and now he was facing it head on. He looked over at Littlefoot and soon found himself standing next to him trying to find out what happened.

"So what do we do now?" Cera asked.

"Well I don't know, Cera. Let's ask Brachio what we should do." Fireclaw replied with a cocky tone.

Brachio stared blankly.

"Brachio have you ever wondered if Rex truly gives a shit about your well-being? If you were smart you would have never come looking for them. I guess since you didn't have much choice that doesn't apply, but do you ever just stop to think about how expendable you are?" Fireclaw asked.

Brachio pondered for a moment what Fireclaw had just said. The reality he'd chosen to deny for so long now began to sink in. He rose to his feet.

"Brachio I'm just going to warn you right now if you even think of doing something stupid you're going to get cut." Fireclaw warned.

Without saying anything Brachio headed for the door. He left the room without a word and continued down the hallway. How would he explain to Rex that his team is now dead and he's the only one alive? How would he explain why he came back empty handed. The answer was simple, he wouldn't. Brachio stood at the control room door and thought about what he'd wanted to say. It was true, Brachio did fear death. He'd never told Rex because of fear that he'd be labeled a coward. Rex used to never be as bad when the Dinosaucers were on Earth, but since then he's changed. Nearly getting him killed on Reptillon through various missions that required him to risk his life never triggered any thought until now. But would Fireclaw understand? Would any of them understand? He opened the hallway door and stepped into the small corridor to the next door into the control room. This was it. It's all he's got left at this point. He opened the door to the control room and stood for a moment looking at everyone in the room. He watched them try to clean up what mess Brachio had brought in.

"Rex isn't going to know about anything that happened here." Brachio said aloud.

"What are you getting at?" Fireclaw replied.

Brachio pulled a tactical knife off of his vest and carved the Tyranno insignia off of his armor then threw it aside. Turning to Littlefoot, who was trying to console his friends after what they'd witnessed he said: "Kid, I'm going to help take back your homeland. I'm not going back to Ghenghis Rex to nearly be killed again."

Fireclaw looked up from his communicator with complete and utter confusion.

"Brachio you're betraying Rex?" He asked.

"That's exactly what I'm doing." Brachio replied.

"That's bold of you Brachio, but how do I know you're not doing this to screw us over later on?" Fireclaw replied.

Fireclaw had a way to know if he was lying or not. It was through an ancient custom on Reptillon he'd learned through training before joining Allo years before. The custom was the blood contract. If someone were to swear allegiance to another faction or country, they must do so by breaking their blood ties to their previous group. It's done by reciting an ancient oath with the right hand pinned to a table usually with a dagger, but anything will do so long as it pierces all the way through. The ancient oath is only legible in an ancient Reptillonian tongue. Brachio and Fireclaw both know oath by heart.

"Brachio, if you're truly breaking your ties as a Tyranno, I think you and I both know what you're about to do." Fireclaw said assuringly.

Fireclaw walked over to Brachio as he drew his knife. He then handed the knife to Fireclaw.

"We don't have a table to do this with it seems, but nonetheless we can still do the oath without it." Fireclaw said.

Brachio nodded and held up his right hand. With a swift motion Fireclaw stabbed through his hand down to the hilt of the knife. Tears began to roll down Brachio's face as he fought the pain.

"Brachio, recite the oath. You're no longer a Tyranno."


	11. Facing Worlds

Chapter 11: Facing Worlds

Genghis Rex paced furiously back and forth in front of the command tent. Brachio was now nearly four hours late and it was wearing Rex's patience thin. Beyond the small treeline to his right he could hear what sounded like guards trying to halt someone only to be smitten down by something else.

"I believe the one we're looking for is not far from us now, it seems." Someone with a thick Tudor accent said.

Rex could hear some hushed replies back and forth between two other individuals sharing the same thick Tudor accent. Rex followed the sound of what he thought was the clinking of heavy armor and sword scabbards against said armor walking away from him, then taking a left turn. Soon after, three dinosaurs appeared from around the corner. Rex wasn't expecting any visitors, especially any who were dressed like medieval knights. The middle one had more elegant and pristine armor than the other two to his sides. Rex assumed that he was the leader of the trio.

"You must be the one known as Genghis Rex, I presume?" The tall Longneck asked. He was about the same height as Brontothunder.

"Who's wanting to know?" Rex replied in a snide tone.

The two guards next to him raised their spears at him. The two minigunners behind Rex guarding his tent stepped forward and began to spin their barrels.

"Now now, there's no need for quarrel. How rude of me to not introduce myself when entering another's encampment. I am Ogmund Catona, high prince of the Hallowed Land of Indra and as it would seem ambassador of divine affairs." Catona replied.

Rex had no reason to believe anything he was hearing.

"If you're the 'high prince,' then prove your worth." Rex replied coldly.

At first Rex hadn't expected anything to come of his empty request, but what he got was more than he could have asked for. Catona's guards stepped away from him as he drew his sword and spun in a circle. A ring of dark energy rushed outward from the circle he'd spun himself in. The minigun-wielding guards behind Rex flew to opposite sides of each other with great force. Catona then thrust his sword into the ground creating a violent earthquake that nearly knocked down Rex's command tent. Sheathing his sword, Catona snapped his fingers. His guards returned to his side nearly instantly.

"Impressed now, commander?" Catona asked.

Catona's display of power piqued Rex's interest. Finally an opportunity presents itself to combat the power that Fireclaw has with the sword that he carries. For once he felt that he could now strike a devastating blow without even holding a weapon himself.

"You do have power it looks like. Come, let's talk. Perhaps we can work something out." Rex said as he gestured the Indric prince into his tent. Catona shot his guards a look and nodded his head. They stood guard next to the minigunners outside of the tent while the two negotiated an alliance.

* * *

Brachio and Fireclaw stood in Lavadome's hangar quietly discussing a plan Fireclaw had formulated only minutes before. Brachio would occasionally nurse his bandaged hand while listening to Fireclaw's idea.

"Alright so you want to do what again?" Brachio asked.

"Well here's the thing. We want to keep Rex's suspicions down so that he doesn't try to do anything extremely brash. You now have no team with you to return with, but you also have no kids either to present to Rex. So basically we're going to go the old fashioned route and tell a little lie to him." Fireclaw explained.

Brachio's stomach turned a full circle inside of him.

"You can't be serious. Lie to Genghis Rex? He can tell I'm lying just by looking at me!" Brachio retorted.

"Tell me something. Doesn't have to be true or not, just tell me and I'll tell you if you're telling the truth or not." Fireclaw said.

After a moment of thinking Brachio got an idea.

"I hate loud noises." Brachio stated.

"Bullshit." Fireclaw replied almost instantly.

"Wow you are good."

"Brachio you need to keep a straight face. I can tell by the way you look when you're lying. You have to make yourself completely believe what you're telling the other person. If you believe it and the other one doesn't know it, chances are they'll buy it." Fireclaw explained.

"So what's the story then?" Brachio replied.

"Story is this. You were attacked on the way here when you decided to check a wooded area. You were basically mobbed but fought tooth and nail for your life. Your team wasn't as fortunate, but screw them, they had it coming." Fireclaw explained as if he'd actually witnessed it.

"Surely we'll need some battle scars, right?" Brachio asked as if expecting an explanation to come. He'd immediately regretted his decision.

Fireclaw quickly grabbed Brachio's knife and slashed him four times with it. Brachio collapsed to the floor in pain and shock from the sudden attack.

"It was a knife fight. Don't take that personally, it'll add to your credibility believe me. Even though now they're fresh wounds you can just wait a while longer before returning to base to deliver this crushing news." Fireclaw said.

Brachio's anger subsided when he'd realized that the wounds were part of the plan. Fireclaw also advised to try to leave them as they are despite the pain in order to make them look as if he'd not tended to them due to some unforseen circumstance.

"Listen if you do this right Brachio, Rex will never suspect anything actually happened here." Brachio suddenly looked at his communicator thinking that someone was paging him. Fireclaw took it from his hand and started to fiddle with it.

"Fireclaw what are you doing?" Brachio asked.

"Programming a special frequency. I'll pick up communications on our emergency line but won't be able to radio back to us. Basically just tune it to this and it won't look anything at all like you're communicating with someone else." Fireclaw replied.

After a moment of tampering with his communicator Fireclaw handed it back. Fireclaw then took his out and spoke into it. His voice played on Brachio's end just fine. Brachio tried to respond but nothing came back through.

"Clever." Brachio said.

"Alright, you know what to do. Kill some time if you have to, but get back to base. Remember to stick to your story and whatever you do do not give him any indication that you're lying. You have to believe what you're saying for it to work." Fireclaw instructed.

Brachio gave a brief nod before taking off out of a small side door to the front of the hangar doors where his ship lie in wait. Fireclaw returned to the control room where everyone was waiting to hear what plan Fireclaw had come up with. Chomper had been looking at something on the monitor and seemed fixated on that rather than what everyone else was wondering. Fireclaw walked over to Chomper to see what he was so focused on.

"Pterano sent some pictures back of the Great Valley. It's not looking too good." Chomper said with much concern. Fireclaw examined the pictures he'd sent. He was less than pleased with what he'd seen.

The Valley was divided into sections. Each section was comprised of the size of the dinosaur. Each one was doing some form of work ranging from hauling trees to moving rocks. Right away he noticed Grandma and Grandpa Longneck in the photo over by their nest. Fireclaw scrolled through the photos examining what Pterano had the misfortune of seeing. He was mostly fixated on the one of Grandma and Grandpa Longneck chained outside of a tent. Something struck him as odd though. Fireclaw noticed the sets of guards outside of the tent. Nowhere else had he seen guards armed with spears or dressed in metal armor. Only there were they present in any photos. Next to the guards were Rex's minigun guards.

"Pterano where are you right now?" Fireclaw asked into his communicator.

"I'm sitting perched in Petrie's cave. Things aren't looking too good, Fireclaw." Pterano replied.

"I can tell. What's up with the guards? Why are there only two who have different armor than the rest?" Fireclaw asked.

"I'm not sure. They're not Rex's, that's for sure." Pterano replied.

Another image loaded up on the console screen. This time an image of Genghis Rex and an elegantly armored Longneck walking out of the tent appeared on the screen. Fireclaw's eyes widened when he'd realized who it was.

"Falchion, Aeris, come here!" Fireclaw called. The two made their way over to Fireclaw where they saw the image themselves.

"This is going to be harder than I thought." Falchion said.

"Why do you say that?" Fireclaw asked curiously.

"We don't want him to know that we've opened the Skyhallowed keep yet. It's too dangerous and too early." Aeris replied.

"The Sky-what?" Chomper asked confusedly.

"Nevermind, you'll learn about it later." Falchion ended the topic with.

Another image showed itself on the screen. This time the Longneck and Rex were shaking hands.

"Oh no..." Aeris said quietly under her breath.

"It can't be. Catona's done the unthinkable!" Falchion said equally as quiet.

"Great, now we have the hallowed prince and the tyrannical asshole to worry about at the same time. This is absolutely amazing." Fireclaw voiced in frustration.

"He's vanished! He just vanished into thin air!" Pterano exclaimed. Fireclaw put his head in his hands and clenched his temples in frustration.

"This has just gotten to a whole new level of difficult." He growled.


	12. The Great Valley Returns

Chapter 12: The Great Valley Returns

Brachio nervously stepped out of his aircraft and onto the hard dirt runway. Upon approaching the Great Valley he'd seen three beams of light come down from the sky and decided to wait a while longer before landing. His wounds hurt badly. He was nearly grinding his teeth to bear the pain from his wounds. At this point he knew he'd have no problem keeping a straight face with Rex when trying to explain the "real" reason why he came back empty handed and alone.

"Brachio! Commander Rex will have words with you!" One of the patrolling units called out to him upon noticing him step off of his aircraft.

"He's wounded! Quick, we need a medic!" Another unit shouted.

Brachio waved the units off and headed for the command tent before they had a chance to catch up with him. Rex was standing outside of the tent waiting for him.

"You're late, and with no dinosaurs behind you. Explain yourself." Rex sneered.

"We were attacked on the way there. We'd landed to inspect a sign that our onboard tracking systems were picking up and we got jumped by unknown forces. We'd suffered heavily casualties and I was the only one who was strong enough to fight my way back to the aircraft." Brachio explained.

"And you didn't even think to help your own units?" Rex countered.

"I tried, but was too wounded to continue to fend them off. The others helped me escape, but weren't as fortunate." Brachio said. Rex eyed Brachio for a moment. Brachio could feel his stomach churning inside him. He felt like he was going to be sick. He tried his hardest to keep a straight face as Fireclaw had said. After what seemed like an eternity Rex waved his hand to tell him to go elsewhere.

"Get yourself patched up. We have something to discuss." Brachio felt a wave of relief roll through his body.

Rex didn't suspect a thing. Brachio made his way to the medic's tent to have his wounds tended to and to think of a way to sabotage the camp in the shortest time possible. Over his shoulder he could hear Genghis Rex calling all of his Tyrannos over his communicator. Brachio didn't think anything of it but Rex didn't radio for him.

Meanwhile on a nearby hilltop Fireclaw, Pterano and Littlefoot lie prone behind a bush. Fireclaw was watching the campgrounds from atop the Thundering Falls through a rifle scope. He could see Brachio and Rex heading different directions. He zoomed in and focused on where Rex was walking. Fireclaw raised the rifle slightly to try to predict his path. Ahead of him he could see a hill and what looked to be a crate of weapons being hauled in it's direction. Fireclaw zoomed to his right and tried to find the command tent, but couldn't see the nesting grounds due to trees blocking his view. He could see other residents of the Great Valley doing their daily labors without second thought. He could tell that they were acting out of fear by the way they reacted to sentry units yelling.

"Pterano, try to get a view on what's going on over that hill." Fireclaw whispered, pointing towards the hill that Rex was heading for.

Pterano sneaked quietly towards a small overhang on the cliff to see what was behind the hill. Fireclaw handed the rifle to Littlefoot and leaned in close to him.

"Alright, raise the rifle to your shoulder but keep your finger off the trigger." Fireclaw told him as he helped position the rifle against Littlefoot's shoulder.

"Good, now when you want to aim, make sure you look through the scope and keep the rifle level with your eye so you don't screw your aim. Keep your target in the small crosshairs you see in the scope." Fireclaw instructed.

Littlefoot scanned the valley with the rifle. He was mortified by what he saw and wanted to put a shot off at someone. Fireclaw reminded him not to shoot unless he told him so that he wouldn't waste ammo and blow their cover. Pterano quickly returned with grim news.

"It's a firing range. It looks like they're leading someone over there now."

The three quickly moved over to the overhang where Pterano was just lying. They could see six lanes with target stands in the distance. Tables were set up to put weapons and ammo on at the opposite end. Fireclaw looked through the scope and saw Brachio walking towards the firing range looking unaware that Rex had called the remaining Tyrannos to meet him there as well.

"Oh shit, this isn't good." Fireclaw said under his breath.

Littlefoot took the rifle and looked through the scope. He followed Redclaw in the sights and watched as he arrived. The others quickly showed up behind him.

"What are you seeing, Littlefoot?" Fireclaw asked.

"It looks like something's going on with Brachio. Wait, they're..." Littlefoot fell silent and clicked the safety off.

Fireclaw looked over, then decided to let Littlefoot make the shot. He was prepared if a situation were to arise.

"Alright Littlefoot, if you think you have your target, put the stock firmly into your shoulder and gently squeeze the trigger. Do not fire unless you know your mark!" Fireclaw sternly instructed.

Littlefoot nodded in agreement and began to slow his breathing. Fireclaw and Pterano watched as Littlefoot prepared to make his shot. Pterano pulled his goggles down over his face and used the binocular function to see what was going.

"Fireclaw, look at this!" Pterano said as he handed his helmet over to him. Brachio was being dragged to the end of the firing lane. The other Tyrannos stood laughing as he struggled against Ankylo and Styracco. Just before they'd reached the end of the lane a loud bang sounded right next to Fireclaw. Anyklo fell to the ground clutching his shoulder. Brachio overpowered Styracco and tripped him. Just before Styracco could get to his feet Brachio kicked him hard in the face. Another bang rang out as Rex fell to the ground. Fireclaw could see a bullet rip square into his back. He dropped a rifle he was just holding and watched Plesio try to pick it up. Brachio leaped over the table and kicked him in the head. Brachio grabbed some sort of laser rifle and a heavy machinegun off the table before charging through the camp. Fireclaw handed Pterano's goggles back to him as the three ran back to the falls.

Without warning Fireclaw drew his sword and leaped over the side of the waterfall and dove straight into the big pond below. His blade gleamed white as he dive bombed straight into the water. Upon impact the water in the pond exploded with great force, sending waves of water crashing up onto the shore. Guards shifted their attention from Brachio to the water which was now bubbling furiously. Another massive wave crashed into the Tyranno sentries as Fireclaw rolled onto shore bringing the water with him. More guards from all over opened fire towards Fireclaw. Brachio shot up through the bottom of a guard tower with his machinegun, killing the occupant instantly. Fireclaw took a round to the shoulder but wasn't phased by it at all. He kept advancing towards the soldiers who couldn't make a shot to save their lives. Fireclaw hacked and slashed his way towards the command tent where he was met with two minigun-weilding guards spinning the barrels.

"Nowhere to run this time." One of the minigunners said.

"No intention to." Fireclaw's voice echoed back.

The guards opened fire, spraying at Fireclaw with bullets. He dove to his left but the guards trained their aim well. He'd dove right into their line of fire but took cover behind a rock to avoid getting hit. Littlefoot placed another shot and hit one of the guards in the eye. Fireclaw heard the other guard curse at what he'd just seen, giving him a small second to act. Fireclaw jumped up and threw his sword. The guard looked at Fireclaw and was impaled in the heart by the blade. He fell backward as Fireclaw leaped over the rock and grabbed his weapon and one of the miniguns.

"Ahh yes, I remember you." He said as he spun the minigun's barrels up to speed. Fireclaw mowed down a few patrolling sentries as he made an attempt to find Brachio.

"Fireclaw!" Someone called from above. Brachio took cover in the reinforced guard tower and was ducking down behind the railing.

"Brachio, where's your aircraft?" Fireclaw called up to him.

"Keep following the path! It's straight ahead!" Brachio replied.

Fireclaw turned to see what he was talking about. The airstrip was just west of the Nesting Grounds in a small field. The two made a dead sprint for it. Bullets whizzed past them as Fireclaw and Brachio ran for Brachio's aircraft. Fireclaw turned the minigun backwards and fired it to his rear while sprinting ahead. He could feel the heat of the barrels brush against his leg as he held down the trigger to suppress their attackers. After reaching the aircraft the two climbed aboard quickly. Fireclaw hung out the back while Brachio took off to fire upon the incoming units. A bullet plinked off of the side of Brachio's ship next to Fireclaw's face.

"Fireclaw, where'd you go? We lost you." Pterano asked over the communicator.

Fireclaw went to answer but noticed the other Tyranno ships sitting in the field. After a moment of thinking Fireclaw told Brachio to strafe the other ships. As Brachio turned to broadside the other aircraft Fireclaw unloaded what was left of the minigun into their engine compartments. By the time the weapon was out of ammo all ships were smoking profusely. Brachio took the ship over towards the firing range. His on board weapon systems were calibrating themselves for auto-targeting on the way there.

"Fireclaw, do you think we could release the dinosaurs right now?" Brachio asked.

"Let's get the weapons first. Once we have some firepower then we can let them run." Brachio landed the aircraft next to a large stockpile of rifles.

Three crates stood next to each other with assault rifles stacked neatly inside. Fireclaw felt to make sure that his emerald gauntlets were still on as he used a force push to slide the crate along the ground. He guided the other two behind it and loaded them into the back of Brachio's ship. Just as Fireclaw was going to board the ship again Rex grabbed him and threw him off. He tumbled backwards as Brachio pulled the ship up so Rex couldn't jump aboard. Fireclaw got to his feet as Rex went to kick him in the ribs. Fireclaw grabbed his foot and flipped him backwards. Rex landed with a hard thud as Fireclaw followed up with an axe kick to the throat. Rex rolled out of the way and swept at Fireclaw's foot. He jumped the sweep kick, narrowly avoiding it. As Rex got to his feet Fireclaw hit Rex in the chest with a spinning heel kick, sending him flying backwards once more. Fireclaw drew his sword as Rex rose to his feet once more. This time Fireclaw was going to make sure Genghis Rex didn't get back up. Rex hadn't seen Fireclaw draw his sword as he blindly charged him. Fireclaw barrel-rolled over Rex's shoulder and brought his sword up through it. Rex was stopped instantly by the hilt of the sword making contact with his shoulder blade. He reeled back hard before falling onto the ground. Fireclaw removed his sword as Rex clutched his shoulder and screamed. Rex crawled to his feet unable to fight any further.

Fireclaw grabbed the bottom of Brachio's ship and banged it twice to signal him to lift off.

"It's rather distasteful to kill someone as pathetic as you." Fireclaw said as he flew away.

Brachio made his way back over to the command tent. Most of the sentries were now in complete chaos with absolutely no idea what to do. Most of them ignored Brachio and Fireclaw as the two released every dinosaur they could find. Fireclaw cut the chains holding Grandma and Grandpa Longneck to the ground. A look of relief beamed on their faces as they heard the chains break.

"Start a riot!" Fireclaw yelled up to Grandpa Longneck before taking off through the trees.

Brachio had opened all of the pens and released all dinosaurs that were chained to something. With the realization that they were now in control the residents of the Great Valley began to come together to take back their home. Topsy roared angrily as he tore through fences and guard towers. Topsy nodded at Fireclaw, who returned the gesture before continuing his rampage.

"We should find the other Tyrannos!" Brachio shouted amongst the chaos.

"We'll try the firing range! They have no weapons to use anyhow!" Fireclaw replied. The two quickly hurried back to the firing range to make sure that the others hadn't done anything. Ankylo moaned from the gunshot wound to his shoulder. Styracco was still out cold from the kick to the head Brachio delievered. Plesio and Fireclaw made brief eye contact as he was trying to help Rex. Fireclaw slowly drew his sword whilst angrily staring Plesio down. Plesio backed away from Genghis Rex and slowly put his hands up. Fireclaw walked over and subdued Plesio quickly by throwing him over his shoulder and slamming hard on the ground. Plesio gasped for air as the impact took his breath away.

"We'll keep this one. I think I know what we can do with him." Fireclaw said.

Brachio lifted a breathless Plesio over his shoulder and carried him back to the aircraft. Rex was leaning against a tree when Fireclaw took Plesio down. The two exchanged glances knowing that Rex had lost everything he'd had.

"You'd better run, Rex. They know." Fireclaw advised before turning and following Brachio.

Something out of the corner of his eye caught Fireclaw's attention. He'd noticed something moving quickly between the trees as if escaping from something. He'd disregarded it as maybe one of the residents of the Great Valley running to join the masses back at the Thundering Falls. Fireclaw arrived to see Plesio tied to a tree while Brachio stood outside of his aircraft and waited for him to return. Plesio struggled against the rope that held him. Fireclaw kept looking around to make sure that no one had followed him.

"You look paranoid." Brachio said upon noticing Fireclaw constantly turning his head.

"Did someone follow behind me by chance?" Fireclaw asked.

"Not that I saw. I don't think any of the other Tyrannos were even in good enough condition to walk." Brachio replied.

Fireclaw soon disregarded his suspicions.

"So what's the plan?" Brachio asked.

"There's something that I need to do. Let's get back to Lavadome for now. I just feel like there's something I'm missing." Fireclaw said.

"Something from here you're missing?" Brachio asked.

"No, something I feel like I should have noticed before but didn't." Fireclaw replied.

After a brief conversation Brachio and Fireclaw loaded Plesio into the ship and left for Lavadome. Fireclaw radioed ahead to make sure that they didn't need to get Littlefoot and Pterano, but they were already there by the time Fireclaw had left.

Over the smoking mountains a small trail of light fell. The sky glowed a slight blue tint as the light shined just beyond the volcanic smoke.


	13. The Prince of Darkness

Chapter 13: The Prince of Darkness

Falchion and Aeris trekked their way through the smoking mountains in search of Prince Catona. Thick smoke from the volcanic vents clouded their vision from time to time and the heat became almost unbearable beneath their armor, yet the continued to push forward in search of their target. They both knew that confronting Catona wouldn't be an easy task. Even though there were two of them, Falchion and Aeris were still nearly no match for Catona's power. Catona's power was growing much more rapidly than they'd expected as it was. A rock exploded behind Falchion causing him to turn and raise his sword in a defensive stance. Seeing that there wasn't anything behind it, he lowered his blade and caught up with his sister.

"Aeris do you feel that?" Falchion asked as he stopped in his tracks. Aeris slowed up and looked around. After a moment she could feel something almost vibrating beneath her.

"Could it be the volcano?" She asked.

"No. It's something powerful. We must be close." Falchion said.

"And you're right!" A voice called out from behind them. Standing high on a rock was Catona himself brandishing a shiny black longsword.

His silver armor reflected the light from the lava flows like a mirror. He stood with a smug look on his face with his back against the thick billowing smoke. Falchion took a defensive stance as Catona leaped off the rock and hurled himself at him. Falchion was knocked backward by a downward slash from Catona's longsword. Aeris attempted to strike but was spun around by Catona and taken down. Falchion returned his attack with a slash to the back of his armor. His blade slid between two of Catona's armor plates and gashed his shoulder deeply. Catona stumbled forward and regained his balance. After checking his bleeding shoulder a surge of rage overcame him.

"You bastard!" He growled in a deep tudor accent.

"We won't allow you to merge our world with this one Catona! You'll destroy everything trying to do such a foolish act!" Falchion yelled.

Catona raised his hand and sent a pulse of energy towards Falchion. The energy burst threw Falchion backwards and sent him sailing through the air. He grabbed Aeris and held her into the air by her throat. A flash of light from her sword temporarily blinded Catona, causing him to drop her. Aeris jumped and leaned her shoulder into him, carrying him off the ground and into the air. Catona landed hard on his back. He lost his sword as he reeled backwards and sent it flying into a nearby lava flow.

"Are you alright Aeris?" Falchion asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." She replied whilst rubbing her neck.

Catona sprang to his feet and used an energy pulse to send himself into the air. He landed gracefully on the same rock he met them on only this time without his sword.

"Maybe I've underestimated you. Even though you both wield power together, there's only one I'm after. You'll pose as an annoyance to me, I'm sure, but it's no matter! You won't live long enough to see my true rise to power!" Catona growled in a demonic voice.

He quickly vanished in a beam of light. Falchion and Aeris stood and waited for an attack. Suddenly the mountain began to shake. Lava spewed forth from the volcanic pits they bubbled in. Without much thought Falchion and Aeris ran for the nearest path down the mountain. Rocks began to fly by as the volcano they were on was beginning to erupt.

"Let this serve as a reminder of the fate of your world!" A voice boomed out from the sky.

An explosion rocked the mountain and nearby hillsides below them. They ran for their lives as the lava poured down from the side of the mountain. With Catona nearby they couldn't light warp away like they'd intended to do. Aeris frontflipped over a downed tree and quickly caught up to Falchion. Cracks began to form beneath their feet. A deep fissure began to open and split the two apart. Aeris dove towards Falchion and barely made the jump as the fissure almost tripled in size. Molten lava spewed from the ravine that grew from the fissure. Falchion barely dodged a gas vent that had exploded beneath his feet. He felt the hot steam burn his heel as he jumped forwards. A rising rock formation caused the ground in front of Falchion and Aeris to collapse. There was a small edge they could catch if they were fast enough. Seeing the only choice, Falchion and Aeris both jumped against the rock, planted one foot against it firmly then pushed off. Once they'd landed safely on the ledge, they continued their mad dash down the volcanic obstacle course.

"He's gotten too powerful!" Falchion said between pants as he and Aeris sprinted.

"We'll have to find a different way to deal with him! He definitely knows of our intentions now!" Aeris replied.

At the bottom of the volcano Falchion and Aeris felt their powers return to them. The two ran almost over the edge of a cliff as they went to stop themselves from running madly. Looking over the edge of the giant ravine, they both nodded to each other and dove in. As they fell head first, two beams of light engulfed them both and took them away in a blinding flash.

* * *

Back at Lavadome Plesio sat in the control room handcuffed to one of the bolted in chairs around the center table. Fireclaw and Brachio discussed a plan to try to break Plesio to get information from him. Plesio could hear the conversation clearly and winced from the thought of some of the things Fireclaw was disguising as empty threats.

Littlefoot sat with Chomper on the couch across the room and listened to him explain how to sharpen a knife. A screaming rang out in the back of his head, but he ignored it. Gradually the screaming would get louder and harder to ignore.

"Littlefoot, you alright?" Chomper asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. Keep going." Littlefoot responded.

Chomper continued to explain what he was doing as he ran a knife blade across a sharpening steel. Chomper was paying close attention to Littlefoot and watching his facial expressions begin to change. His eye began to twitch. Soon afterward Littlefoot began to stare off into space.

"Littlefoot are you sure you're alright?" Chomper asked.

"I'm... fine..." Littlefoot barely choked out.

Images of a city began to flash in front of his eyes. A city with a mountain range in the background. A road sign flashed showing the name "Sharpclaw City." Littlefoot began to repeat what he was seeing aloud.

"Sharpclaw City? What the- is he talking about the city on Reptillon?" Fireclaw asked.

"Holy shit Fireclaw watch this." Brachio said as he watched Littlefoot.

Images of a busy street began to materialize in Littlefoot's mind. The city was populated by Dinosaurs looking just like he and everyone else in the room! Suddenly images of people running and screaming would flash like a slideshow quickly changing pictures.

"Running and screaming?" Chomper asked.

Littlefoot made a motion with his hand as if he were drawing a sword and holding it with both hands. He then thrust his hands into the air as if he were holding the sword to the sky.

"What in the hell is he doing?" Brachio asked.

Redclaw came into the room with just a towel wrapped around his waist. He heard something coming from the control room and came to investigate.

"What's up with the... Littlefoot, you alright?" Redclaw stammered.

Littlefoot looked at Redclaw with an expression of pure rage. He suddenly pointed his imaginary sword at Redclaw.

"BY THE LIGHT OF THE DIVINES, YOUR REIGN IS NO MORE! WE SEVEN DIVINES CONDEMN YOU TO A LIFE OF TORMENT! BEGONE FROM OUR WORLD, DEMON PRINCE!" Littlefoot's voice boomed out.

The skylight in the control room began to vibrate as the sound of his booming voice reached the ceiling. Fireclaw stared in complete shock at what Littlefoot had just said. How did he even know about the divines in the first place?

"Ho-lee shit, Fireclaw." Chomper said.

Littlefoot collapsed on the floor. Redclaw and Chomper ran and helped him to his feet. Dazed and confused Littlefoot looked Fireclaw in the eye and said: "A dark horizon awaits us. We must act before it is too late!" Fireclaw stared at him completely unprepared for what he would say next. "Your friends, the humans. They are safe, for now. There isn't much time. You must find-" Littlefoot's voice trailed off and he fell on the floor unconscious.


End file.
